Kagome's Heart and Inuyasha's Feelings
by LeilanaIce
Summary: Inuyasha and his comrades are traveling back to the village after a long time searching for the hidden whereabouts of Naraku and finding nothing. The new moon is nearing which means so is Inuyasha's transformation to a human. A battle encounter on the way
1. Chapter 1

"Uuuugh we've been walking and walking and walking all day!" complained the young fox youkai, lowering his arms low to the ground in mock exhaustion allowing his small hands to drag the forest path, leaving behind a small set of twin trails behind him. "I'm tired and I'm getting hungry! Can we pleeeeeeeeease stop for a rest!?"

Beside him was a young woman with long, raven hair of waves; big, bright shining eyes and a sweet smile that always seemed to be on her face. She was literally the picture of kindness. She wore a small, pleated green skirt, white knee-high socks, a white, long-sleeved shirt with a red tie and green around the collar. One white stripe wound it's way around the collar. Her name was Kagome Higurashi and she was a miko, a priestess who possessed special, spiritual powers. Slung over her should was a bow and a quiver of arrows which she used in times of great need. Kagome had discovered that she herself was a reincarnation of the former protector of the Shikon no Tama, a precious and very powerful jewel. That protector's name was Kikyou. The Shikon no Tama had been shattered into many pieces quite sometime ago, and Kagome's spiritual miko powers allowed her to sense if there were any shikon shards nearby. This was only one of the special things about Kagome. She had met Shippou on one of her many disastrous travels in the feudal era. Shippou was a young orphan youkai, a fox demon of the age of 7 years old. Kagome and Shippou had quickly formed a close bond, Shippou always looking up to her as a mother figure. She grinned down at the tired little kitsune who gazed up at her pleadingly.

"Don't worry Shippou, I'll carry you," Kagome told him gently as she lowered herself down and lifted the small kitsune up in her arms cradling him like a baby and earning a "Keh!" from the being clad in red whom walked next to her.

He had his arms folded gingerly in the sleeves of his fire rat haori and stuck his perfectly shaped nose in the air, flicking the soft white ears that sat perched on top of his white head. His long, silvery white mane of hair flew out from behind him. Sheathed on his right side was a sword which the man in red barely ever parted with. His name was Inuyasha and he was a hanyou, a half demon. Kagome could tell that Inuyasha, the half-dog demon whom she'd grown to love so, was getting irritated with Shippou's constant whining. The miko gazed at him, waiting to see what kind of reaction would issue from Inuyasha this time around and braced herself in case he decided to knock the little kitsune over the head in annoyance. Inuyasha normally made Shippou his target if he was in a bad mood or just needed to blow off a bit of steam which would normally result in an "osuwari" from Kagome, causing the beads of subjugation around his neck to glow, his face slamming into the ground and ending in a mouthful of dirt. That's usually what always resulted if Kagome 'sat' him.

"Quit complaining so damn much. I want to make it to the village before nightfall if that's alright with you," he snapped at the young fox demon.

"You don't have to yell at me, ya know!" Shippou shot back with a slightly hurt sound in his small voice. "I'm just tired."

"Inuyasha," Kagome began in somewhat warnful tones.

"Huh?" the hanyou gazed down at Kagome with a slightly frightened look in his eyes, hoping against hope she hadn't planned on using the dreaded word...osuwari. He tugged at the beads on his neck nervously, not breaking his gaze from her.

Kagome just grinned, noticing the nervous look on the hanyou's face. She had no intentions on sitting him. "Just relax, we'll make it there before nightfall. There's no need to pick on Shippou just because tonight is the night of the new moon. It's barely afternoon and nearing lunchtime."

"Keh," was all the hanyou said.

How he loathed the night of the new moon. This was the only time when Inuyasha was in his most vulnerable, most weakened stage and that was the night when the moon did not show in the sky. That was the night that Inuyasha lost all of his demonic powers and became human for the entire night. He hated this night more than anything and never could sleep. As much as he hated to admit it, he feared it when he was in human form. He was afraid that something would happen to one of his friends or Kagome and he wouldn't be able to protect them. Inuyasha could not wield the Tetsusaiga while in human form and he had no demonic powers to fight with either, so he was basically rendered helpless until daybreak. Daybreak was when his demonic powers returned to him and he was once again the strong hanyou that his companions had grown accustomed to.

"Maybe we should stop for a rest and for a bite to eat," Sango pointed out. "The village is still a ways away and we're going to need our strength at it's best if we want to make it there by nightfall," the demon slayer pointed out.

She was a lovely young woman, with locks of dark brown hair that she wore loosely tied at the back. She wore a pink, magenta and green kimono with a blue bandana tied around her neck. Over her shoulder she carried the one thing that demons dare not want to encounter, the Hirakotsu, Sango's deadly weapon devised from the bones of demons slayed in her village. On her other shoulder rode a small, cream colored youkai cat named Kirara. She mewed a squeaky meow in agreement with Sango.

"Sango is right. We should stop for something to eat," spoke up the voice of the male who walked beside her.

He carried a tall, golden staff with rings around it that gently tinkled as the group walked. He had short, jet black hair with the back bit tied into a small ponytail, dark expressive eyes and was deviously handsome. He wore long, light and dark blue robes that signified his appearance. He was a houshi, a monk by the name of Miroku, but he was no ordinary houshi, oh no indeed. This monk was as lecherous as they came, or nothing but a womanizer as Sango would say. Judging by his appearance you could never tell, but if a beautiful woman was near, you could bet Miroku would take her hands in his own with a serious expression set on his face, and ask her to bear his child.

However this action usually ended up with a very angry demon exterminator bashing him over the head with her Hirakotsu, leaving the monk wishing he would have just kept his mouth shut. If he wasn't busy trying to woo other women, then you can but houshi-sama was picking the perfect chance to cop a feel on Sango's rear-end. The aftereffect of that was normally quite humorous as Sango would raise a hand, allowing anybody who was alteast within a mile of them to hear the slap that issued from it as it hit Miroku's face, leaving that lovely embodiement of the demon slayer's hand.

"We CAN'T be stopping and sitting around to rest!" snapped Inuyasha at the others. "In case you didn't know, tonight's the new moon and I don't give a damn whether you're hungry or not! We need to get to the village and fast, so quit your complaining and let's get the hell out of here!"

Kagome just sighed and shook her head. She didn't understand why he always had to act like such a tough guy. The miko understood that Inuyasha was just worried that with him being in human form and not making it to the village in time, they might end up in a mess they didn't want to be in. Not to mention he had to keep himself hidden from the wretched demon, Naraku. If Naraku were to find out that the new moon was the night Inuyasha transformed, he'd use that to his own advantage and try to steal the remainder of the Shikon Shards that Kagome kept safely around her neck in a small jar, hidden underneath her blouse.

"I don't think it'd hurt to just stop for a bite to eat, Inuyasha," Kagome pointed out. "You can always carry me and we can run to get to the village before nightfall if that makes you feel any better?" the miko suggested.

"Keh, whatever," he replied stiffly. The hanyou flicked his ears back and forth, hearing the sounds of a river just up ahead. He lifted his keen nose and sniffed the air.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned, hearing the sniffing from behind him.

"Eh, it's nothing," Inuyasha replied. "There's a river nearby. I'm sure we could catch some fish." The hanyou pointed one long-clawed finger towards where the sounds of the river were emanating. "Let's make this quick if we're going to get to the village before nightfall!" Inuyasha didn't stop to wait for his friends, instead he took off at a run, the sleeves of his fire rat kimono waving out from behind him as he descended from the group.

Kagome just grinned and shook her head. iThat Inuyasha...he's always in a hurry. We'll make it back to the village before nightfall. He just needs to learn to have a little patience is all./i The rest of the group picked up pace and met Inuyasha by the river. He had already dove in and caught quite a bit of fish for his friends, though he looked none too happy about it. He was soaked from head to toe. The hanyou lowered himself on all fours and shook the water off of himself in a very dog-like way, causing the group to back away, shielding themselves from the flying water. Miroku and Sango made their way over to where Inuyasha sat and began gathering sticks and small chunks of wood nearby to make a fire.

Kagome walked over to the river and crouched down, removing the yellow bag from her shoulders. She reached inside and took out some water bottles, filling up them up from the fresh water flowing in the river. She'd keep these for her friends in case anybody got thirsty. Pretty soon the popping and snapping was heard from the fire that had been started by the monk and Sango. They gathered some small sticks, placing the fish on the ends of them. The group was now gathered anxiously around the fire, waiting for the fish to finish cooking, their stomachs talking noisily to them all, except for Inuyasha. He was fidgeting more than usual and kept looking up at the sky and then back at Kagome. The miko raised an eyebrow at him. He seemed more antsy than usual.

"WHAT!" Inuyasha snapped, noticing Kagome's gaze had fallen on him.

"Nothing!" Kagome shot back. "I just noticed you were a bit more restless than normal. Is that okay with you?" She mumbled under her breath, hearing a frustrated growl come from the half-demon and he abruptly stood, sniffing the air again.

"I'm going for a walk! I'll be back in a bit and you had all better damn well make sure that you're ready to go when I get back because if you're not, I'm leaving WITHOUT YOU!" Inuyasha shouted, place emphasis on his final two words, and with that he turned from his group of comrades.

"Don't you want anything to eat, Inuyasha?" Kagome called to his retreating back, but the hanyou didn't respond.

"WELL FINE! MORE FOR US THEN!" she hollared in slight frustration.

Kagome just rolled her eyes and turned back to the fish. iEmpty threats, Inuyasha. How often have you used that line on us in the past?/i She snickered to herself and Shippou caught her eye grinning. Sango was busy cooking the fish as well so neither girl noticed when the monk gazed up at the sky and saw something long, glowing and white appear above the treetops, only to dive back down in them once more. I knew I sensed her presence. Houshi-sama thought, gazing almost sympathetically at Kagome who had been oblivious to shinidamachuu, the glowing soul collector that had appeared and then disappeared as quickly as it had shown itself. Kagome would not be pleased to know that undead miko, Inuyasha's former lover, Kikyou was nearby.

iI knew I smelled her! I wasn't sure at first, but now I KNOW it's her!/i Inuyasha thought anxiously as he ran towards the undead priestess. iWhat on earth could Kikyou be doing out this way?/i Unless she had new news of Naraku's where-abouts, the hanyou didn't know, but he had to admit he was anxious to find out and in a way, he wanted to tell Kikyou to get out of here before Kagome figured out what was going on. iWhy in the hell am I going to see her again though? I just finished promising Kagome that I'd never leave her side again...so what's drawing me here? I mean...I don't want to leave Kagome's side, not ever again. Kikyou, unless this is something important, I can't stay long./i The hanyou stopped as he had finally reached her scent. Gazing upward, he saw Kikyou laying leisurely in a tree. Her bow had been sat up against the base of it and her shinidamachuu slithered in mid air around her, singing their calming, siren song.

"Kikyou," Inuyasha stated as he stared upward at the woman.

"Inuyasha," she replied, allowing her soul collectors to gather her and lower her cold, clay-made body to the ground.

"Kikyou, what are you doing out here?" Inuyasha asked, still continuing to stare the woman. "Do you have any new information on Naraku's whereabouts?"

"No, Inuyasha, I do not. I merely fancied a stroll in the forest and found myself out here. I should be asking you what you are doing here. Shouldn't you be with Kagome and the others?"

"I...well..," stammered Inuyasha, turning his head away from Kikyou. Both Kagome and Kikyou always had a way of making him feel guilty for being with one or the other.

"Hmmm, you smelled me nearby and so you decided to seek me out, did you not?" Kikyou questioned, staring down at the half-demon. "Was there any reason behind it?"

"Well...I just...," Inuyasha began, but couldn't finish his sentence. iDamn! How do I tell Kikyou that I...I can't meet with her anymore? How do I explain to Kikyou that I've promised to stay by Kagome's side and promised to protect her? How will Kikyou ever come to understand that I...I think I'm falling in love with Kagome? No...I think I am in love with Kagome, I've just been too stupid to see it until now. I mean, I still love Kikyou but...the one thing keeping us apart is well, Kikyou's dead and I'm alive. I'll still avenge her death on that bastard Naraku, but that's all I can do for her./i "I thought maybe you might have had some news on Naraku is all. I figured you were coming after us to let us know."

Kikyou stared down at Inuyasha with her cold, dark gaze, but it held a curiousness in it. "Is that all you've come to see me for, are you lying to me, Inuyasha?" the undead miko questioned.

Inuyasha could feel his heart pounding in his chest. iI have to tell her...it's time to let go. I can't see her anymore...it'd be wrong. I've hurt Kagome so much, I can't do this to her anymore. I don't want to lose her because of this. It's tearing her apart and if I lose her, it'll tear me apart./i 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Letting Go of the Past

"Inuyasha sure has been gone for quite awhile," Kagome acknowledged once her friends' tummies were all full. "He was so determined to get back to the village before nightfall. I guess I had better go and look for him before we lose track of time. Then we'll really be in trouble." The miko lept to her feet, grabbed her bow and arrows, slinging them over her shoulder and brushed the grass off of her skirt. "I'll be right back!" she told the others cheerily.

Miroku looked at Kagome worriedly. iShould I say anything? Maybe it's best if I not say anything, but what if she sees Inuyasha and Kikyou together, then what? If I say it now, it's going to hurt her, she may even cry, but if I let her go, maybe she'll just bump into Inuyasha...yes, I think it's best I let her go on her own./i

"Is something wrong, Miroku?" Sango asked, edging towards him a bit. "You've been very quiet the whole time we were eating. That's not like you. Normally we all talk, but you seemed to concentrating on other things."

Miroku sighed and gazed over at slayer's concerned expression. "Sango, I suppose I should have told Kagome-sama this before she left but, I think I saw Kikyou's shinidamachuu."

"Oh no, are you serious Miroku?" Sango asked quietly, placing her hands over her mouth. "If Kagome-chan spots them together, she..." but the demon slayer couldn't finish her sentence.

"Yes, I know," the houshi sighed as he rested his chin in his hand. "Maybe I should have said something to her and prevented her from going?"

"Well, either way Kagome-chan was bound to find out. I just hope he isn't doing anything with Kikyou that might upset Kagome too much. I honestly don't know how much more her heart can take of his two-timing," Sango pointed out silently. The two were trying to keep from Shippou, who had fallen asleep after a full belly, awakening to find out that Inuyasha went off in search of Kikyou after picking up her scent.

"I don't know, my dear Sango, but I suppose if we hear 'osuwari', we'll know that it can't be pleasant," Miroku sighed. "In the meantime, why don't we enjoy the alone time we have together?"

"Miroku," Sango began, too worried about Kagome to focus on alone time with him, but her worry was vastly broken as the monk moved right up next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. Sango felt herself blushing and she turned her head not allowing him to see the pink shade now on splashing gently across her cheeks. However, the blush quickly left upon the lecherous monk placing a hand on Sango's rear-end and rubbing it as though it were a cat.

biSLAP!/b/i that's all that could be heard as Kagome jogged away from the others and she giggled, knowing that Miroku and Sango were taking advantage of their alone time together. Maybe this time Sango and Miroku could confess their feelings for one another in private.

"Inuyasha!" called Kagome as she continued to walk through the forest, gazing upwards at the trees swaying in the warm breeze. "Where are you? We have to get going you know! You were so determined to...," Kagome's breath caught in her throat as she heard voices. The miko hurried and hid behind some brush and peeked up over the leaves at the sight that befell her, a dreaded sight that Kagome did not want to see or even remotely witness.

Kikyou was now leaning up against the base of the tree, her soul collectors slowly encircling her pale body, continuing to give off their siren-like tune softly into the air. Inuyasha sat near her, crouched down to her level.i No...this can't be! Please tell me this isn't the reason that Inuyasha left us all alone! It has to be...Inuyasha had to of been drawn to Kikyou's scent. Why would he do this to me? Why now? After he promised me he would protect me and promised he wouldn't leave my side ever again, here he goes again, after Kikyou. Why do I continue to let myself struggle through this? Why do I keep allowing my heart to break every single time Kikyou's around? It's because I love him. I love him so much, but he doesn't love me...not in the way that he loves Kikyou./i

Kagome sat hidden by the bushes and a lump began to form in her throat. She strained her ears hard to try and hear what Inuyasha and Kikyou were talking about, but she couldn't hear a thing. The miko just saw them speaking with one another. She watched as Inuyasha began to slowly rise up from his crouched position. The soul collectors had now lowered themselves down to the undead priestess and gathered her body, lifting her up until they vanished in the sky, leaving only Inuyasha to stand and gaze upward. She tried to get a glimpse of his facial expression. Was it sad? Sad that Kikyou was leaving once more? Kagome couldn't handle it it anymore and she couldn't hold back the tears she had been fighting since she saw Inuyasha and Kikyou together. They broke free, slipping down her cheeks one right after the other and she let out a small sob the she couldn't control.

The perfect, white triangles on top of the hanyou's head flicked back and forth as he picked up the sound. It sounded too familiar. With a feeling of dread in his heart, Inuyasha turned around. The hanyou had picked up Kagome's scent quickly, followed by the scent of her tears and the sound of her sobbing. He turned around to see Kagome who was now standing up and staring at him with a look of shock, disbelief and intense hurt crossing her beautiful facial features. She had one of her hands raised up to her mouth in a loose fist. How could he do this to her again?

"Inu-yasha...w-why?" Kagome choked out, staring at him. The miko couldn't stand to see his face anymore. It was ripping her heart apart, tearing it into shreds, leaving the torn pieces to float somewhere deep inside of her very soul. Kagome couldn't take the pain anymore. She turned on her heel and began to run as fast as her human legs could possibly carry her, away from him, away from what she had hoped was a love forming, away from an empty promise.

"Kagome...," the hanyou spoke quietly to himself as he watched the broken miko run from him. iDammit! Why didn't I know Kagome would have come! Couldn't she hear us? Couldn't she hear me telling Kikyou that I couldn't see her anymore unless it was an emergency or had to do with location of Naraku? Didn't she hear me say that if Kikyou needed to see me, then she'd have to see all of us together and not me alone? Didn't she hear me tell Kikyou how important Kagome is to me? How long had she been there?/i

"Kagome, wait!" Inuyasha called out. He was bound and determined to track down her scent, find her and make her understand that his meeting with Kikyou had been completely innocent and he wasn't trying to go off and be secretive about it either. Didn't Kagome realize just how important she was to him? "Kagome! KA-GO-ME! PLEASE DON'T RUN FROM ME!" Inuyasha yelled, but the girl had already disappeared from his sight.

It was getting closer and closer to the new moon and the hanyou could already feel his strengths, not to mention his emotions starting to weaken. The closer the new moon was drawing, the more vulnerable and inadequate he felt. iDAMMIT!/i Inuyasha cursed himself as he gave chase to the miko, hoping to catch up with her. He had to explain to her. He had to tell her what had happened, that his meeting with Kikyou had been purely innocent and that not once had he wanted to betray Kagome's trust. He felt a creature stirring in his chest, a wail of frustration threatening to escape. What if Kagome didn't want to hear him out? iDamn these fucking human weaknesses!/i

Kagome could barely even see through her tears where she was going, let alone care to register which direction she was going. All the miko knew was that she wanted to run as far away from Inuyasha as quickly as she possibly could. If she had to, Kagome would get to the village herself and upon her arrival, jump down the well and just go home. iIf I...If I run into him before I get home, I'm going to tell him to just leave me alone! I can't handle this pain anymore! I can't take his games anymore!/i How could he do this to her yet again when just the other night he had promised he'd never leave her side like that again and he promised to always protect her.

"How could you betray me like this Inuyasha!" Kagome wept to herself as she stared ahead, still running, no she was sprinting, trying to find a way out of the coccoon of torture that she'd put herself into. The priestess never even noticed she was nearing her comrades once more. Kagome was too caught up in her pain to even really care that her friends were nearby.

Sango was glaring daggers down at the amorous monk with her fists clenched and veins popping out all over her forehead, signifying that she was angry, but Kagome paid them no attention upon arrival. She just kept running, her breaths coming in heavy, sobbing gasps. She attempted to wipe away the unrelenting tears, but it did no good. The demon slayer and the houshi stared as Kagome's retreating back, stopping in mid-fight. The two gazed quickly at one another and automatically knew that Kagome had caught Inuyasha with Kikyou.

"Kagome-chan!" called out Sango as she lept to her feet and began going after the young woman. "Kagome-chan what's wrong! Please tell me! Where are you going?"

"NO! I DON'T WANT IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Kagome screamed, but did not turn around. She threw her hands back in a dramtically waving gesture, her long black waves of hair flying out from behind her. "HE CAN STAY...I CAN'T! I'M NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE!" Her voice rang through the trees and was so choked with tears that were it not Sango, they may not have understood what she were saying. "JUST LEAVE ME!"

Sango stopped in shock as the words issued from Kagome's mouth, but she knew that the miko wasn't trying to hurt her. Kirara arrived just at Sango's heels and released a small squeak of concern for the devastated young woman.

"Kirara please, follow Kagome-chan. Make sure she doesn't get herself into any danger. Protect her since a certainisomeone/i seems to be too busy to realize what he's done," the demon slayer stated in a flat tone. Kirara squeaked in understanding and took off after Kagome, showing nothing but her twin tails as she ran into some tall grass to keep herself hidden from the miko. By this point, Shippou had awoken to Kagome's voice. He lept up as soon as Kirara began making her way in the direction the miko had gone.

"Wait for me, Kirara! I'm going to! Baka Inuyasha! What did you do this time!" the little kitsune remarked angrily as he ran to catch up with the demon cat.

The houshi approached Sango's side, resting a hand on her shoulder. A sigh issued from his mouth and he shook his handsome, dark head while closing his eyes. Miroku felt like it was his fault Kagome had seen this. Maybe he should have told her?

"Poor Kagome-sama," he began, standing at Sango's side. "Maybe I should have just told her. At this rate, she'll make it back to the village before we can even get there."

Sango whirled around furiously, her face turning red with anger now. "How could Inuyasha do this again to Kagome-chan! How could he just go off and sneak around like that! Didn't he just promise her the other night that he would always stay with her, Houshi-sama!" the demon slayer screeched, grabbing the front of his robes, trying to suppress her outrage towards the hanyou.

Miroku stared down at the blazing eyes of the demon slayer and flinched slightly when he felt her grab his robes. The monk than calmed himself when he realized that he himself weren't in any immediate danger from Sango, but that the young slayer was just raging because of the hurt she saw in the woman she considered her dearest friend and sister.

"Calm down, Sango, let's not be rash," Miroku spoke gently as he pryed her clenched fists from the front of his robes. "Let's wait for Inuyasha to return, then you can be as audacious as you wish to be with him."

The demon slayer and houshi were interrupted in their conversation by the sounds of running coming towards them. A massive puff of dust billowed up in their faces as a very frustrated and shaking hanyou skidded to a stop next to them. They gazed upward as the dust began to dissapate to see Inuyasha standing there, an angry almost desperate look grazed his facial features and both of his fists were clenched at his sides. The hanyou was trembling and it wasn't from anger. Something else was causing him to be in the state he was.

"Where's Kagome?" the words came out of his mouth softly, not in those usual harsh tones he was so well known for.

"Well, apparently Kagome-sama had spotted you with Lady Kikyou. She just ran past here a bit ago, but she's already gone," Miroku began to explain. "I can tell she was headed back towards the village. Inuyasha, what did you do with Kikyou? Kagome-sama ran past here in tears and she told us to let her be, so tell me, why did you break the promise you made to the miko?" the houshi questioned seriously, clutching his staff and trying not to allow his frustration with the hanyou get the better of him.

"WHAT!? I WASN'T DOING ANYTHING WRONG!" the half-demon exploded. "I WAS SEEING KIKYOU FOR A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT REASON AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY, DAMMIT!" Inuyasha whirled around, his long white hair billowing out from behind him and slammed his fists into the first tree he could find.

"Sure you weren't," snapped Sango as she balled her fists even tighter, doing anything and everything she could in her power, willing herself not to hit the hanyou with all the force she could muster. "How could go sneaking around like that! Especially after the promise you made with Kagome-chan!"

Inuyasha had his back turned towards the others, his fists still buried in the tree he had just collided with. His shoulders were hunched and deep breaths issued from him. He lowered his head and pulled his, cut and bloodied fists from the bark of the tree. Two rather deep holes had been left where the hanyou had forced his hands into the tough oak. Inuyasha turned around and stared at the two, his golden eyes not filled with anger, but it seemed as though they were filled with frustration and hurt. A meek but mocking smile crept up on his face, but it wasn't the kind of smile to show that he was happy.

"Keh, so that's what you think is it? You think I went sneaking off with Kikyou and betrayed Kagome, right? You think I wanted to go off and see Kikyou even after I made the promise to Kagome I did the other night, right?" He stared at them. He wore the same grin on his face that he had worn after becoming an unstoppable youkai and slaughtering the group of bandits in a village when he had lost Tetsusaiga. "Well you're fucking wrong. I did go and see Kikyou, but not for the reason you think."

Sango and Miroku stood staring at the hanyou in disbelief, not daring to believe their ears. "So...you mean the visit with Kikyou, was purely innocent?" Sango asked softly, trying to catch Inuyasha's eye. He turned his head away from them, closing his amber orbs, not wanting to look at his friends. iOf course it was! Why the hell would they think otherwise!?/i

"I saw this as my opportunity to tell Kikyou goodbye," Inuyasha told them quietly. "I saw this as the chance to tell Kikyou that I had promised myself to Kagome and that I had to let go of what we once had. All it is now is just a memory. We can't finish what we started. Kikyou is dead, Kagome is alive. Who else would be there to protect her from Naraku? I have to protect her. I won't let Kagome get into any danger anymore!"

The hanyou sighed and sat on the ground, staring into the remains of the fire that had been burning previously to cook their fish. "I did nothing with Kikyou and don't ever plan to do anything with Kikyou, so you have your story all wrong!" he snapped, feeling his temper flaring up inside of him. The closer it came to the night of the new moon, the more that Inuyasha's human emotions were building up inside of him, but he pushed them back, trying to act macho and tough like he usually always did. The hanyou turned his back to his comrades, folding his arms inside of the sleeves of his haori as he normally did so and stared at the ground. iKagome, how far did you go? It's so hard to continue tracking your scent down. I'm already starting to lose my senses. I will find you Kagome! I'll make you understand!/i

"Inuyasha...we're...so sorry. We had no idea that was your intention at all," the demon slayer admitted, a blush appearing over her cheeks. She felt guitly for reacting the way she did to the hanyou, but seeing Kagome so broken up had put her in a dangerous position of a piqued mood. Now that she had listened to Inuyasha speak, seen the way he looked and how he had punched the tree the way he had, Sango knew that his meeting with Kikyou had been completely innocent.

"Keh, well you never really ever give me a damn chance to explain myself, do you?" the hanyou shot back. "You always assume the worst and this time you were dead wrong!" Inuyasha lept up to his feet, his hands still clutched into angry, bleeding fists and he was still trembling somewhat.

"Inuyasha, what is it?" Miroku asked curiously, as he watched the hanyou quickly rise.

"What the hell do you think? I'm going to go and find Kagome!" he snapped at the monk, who took a step back as Inuyasha's golden eyes blazed at him.

"Now? Don't we need to get ourselves back to the village? I mean, it's nearing late afternoon. By the time we get there, nightfall could already be among us and you'll be human," the houshi pointed out.

"KEH! DO YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THAT!? KAGOME IS MORE IMPORTANT, OKAY!?" Inuyasha yelled at his friends, not caring to hide his anger and much worse the pain creeping up in his heart now. "IF YOU THINK FOR ONE MINUTE MY TRANSFORMATION IS GOING TO STOP ME FROM FINDING HER THEN YOU'RE FUCKING WRONG ON THAT ONE TOO!"

Sango and Miroku just stared at one another in a surprised manner as Inuyasha turned on his heel and took off running in the same direction Kagome had taken earlier, sprinting much faster than he normally would and taking great, leaping strides as he went. The hanyou was desperate to find Kagome and more than anything wanted to explain to her that what she saw was not what she thought, not at all. Would he be able to make her understand? Would Inuyasha be able to make her listen without recieving an assult of 'osuwaris' from the girl? iPlease, Kagome! I didn't do anything wrong! You have to listen to what I have to say when I find you, Kagome! It wasn't what you thought!/i


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Memories of Kikyou and Battle with the Scorpion Youkai

Her legs were starting to get tired as the girl continued sprinting, trying to break from the pain that had now envolped her body and soul. She had left her yellow backpack, packing all of the goods she carried for her friends, behind as she made a break to get out of there as quickly as possible before Inuyasha found her and she'd have to hear the full confession coming from him. Kagome couldn't, it was just too much. She didn't know if she could stand Inuyasha saying another precious thing about Kikyou. Kikyou, the woman who Kagome had saved from Naraku's miasma. Kikyou, the woman whom had tried to kill she, Kagome, in the past and yet Kagome still did what she could to help Kikyou whenever the undead miko was in need of it.

Kagome had done this because she bore a rather strong and almost unatural kindness in heart towards others. No matter how jealous or outraged she became over Kikyou and Inuyasha, she would never just leave somebody to die, especially Kikyou. Kagome knew how special Kikyou was to Inuyasha and so she could never just leave the woman to die if that were the case. Although sometimes she wished that she had just left her or that Kikyou would just disappear, but then the miko would feel terrible and wonder if she had really become such an awful person. No, of course she hadn't. If she had, Kagome wouldn't have went out of her way to save Kikyou from Naraku's miasma. Kagome could remember clearly when they were certain that Kikyou had been killed and she would never forget Inuyasha's reaction to the powerful miko's supposed demise.

iInuyasha stood on the cliff after just witnessing a vision of Kikyou. He never excepted his older brother to be there at all on the newly barrier-ridden Mt. Hakurai. Lord Sesshomaru had been gazing downward where Kikyou had fallen after Naraku had inflicted serious wounds upon her clay body. The half-demon laughed as his tentacle-like feature pierced the dead woman's flesh, but it only cracked open, there was no blood. She had fallen into the gushing river of his deadly miasma.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha growled in menacing tones, balling his fists up as he stared angrily at his youkai older brother.

Sesshomaru turned his silver head to the side, peering over his shoulder at the hanyou, gazing curiously at him. He turned to face his little brother. "Inuyasha, still alive are you?" the great youkai questioned in slight surprise.

Inuyasha ignored the question, continuing to further interrogate Sesshomaru. "What are you doing here?"

Sesshomaru had chosen to ignore his younger brother's warning but instead continued to carry on what he had discovered upon his arrival. "It seems that Naraku's main interest was not you, but rather his real objective was to kill that woman." He turned his silver head, showing the twin purple marks on his cheeks, marking his youkai nature. He gazed downward as Inuyasha's face became filled with confusion. What did Sesshomaru mean? The hanyou followed his brother's stare and discovered what lay just at the edge of the cliff. It was a wooden bow. It lay, snapped into two pieces splintered where it had broken, the woven cloth around it's center slowly becoming unraveled and the string loosened. What in the hell had happened here?

"That's Kikyou's bow!" Inuyasha exclaimed staring down the demolished weapon. "No, Kikyou!" He picked up his feet and ran to the edge of the cliff, lowering himself to his knees and picking up half the bow in his hand. He stared at it in disbelief, not daring to believe that Kikyou could really be dead. Inuyasha, slowly stood up, clutching the bow in his fist. ' What happened...did Naraku kill Kikyou? No! it can't be!!!' The hanyou clenched his teeth down hard as he remembered what Kikyou had told him.

"Naraku cannot kill me. Not as long as he has Onigumo's heart...the heart which cares for me," she had told him reassuringly. Kikyou had mentioned that as long as Onigumo's heart still beat within Naraku that there would be an opportunity for her to destroy him.

Inuyasha struggled with the flood of emotions that were filling his insides, not wanting to believe that the woman he loved had fallen once again by the hands of Naraku and died alone. The hanyou's golden eyes scanned the cliff and then averted down towards where the river of the purple and black miasma continued to flow, bubbling precariously over the rocks of the mountain that had fallen below. His eyes then caught sight of something white flowing up from the wind. It was attatched to one of the many jagged rocks below. A white piece of cloth perhaps? Out of nowhere a shinidamachuu appeared, wounding it's glowing, glistening white body around the cloth.

"A soul collector," Inuyasha spoke, still in shock by what he'd just heard and what he was discovering. Was it really possible that Kikyou was killed here?

The cloth flew off the rock and the soul collector chased after it, absorbing the item along with itself and disappeared into a blue flame. It was followed by a transparent image of Kikyou's face in the miasma and her illusion burst into a million of brillant, blue and twinkling stars. They slowly cascaded back downward into the miasma fading from view. Inuyasha drew his eyesbrows in, doing his best to keep the pain he was feeling at bay. "I failed you again Kikyou...I let you die. I wasn't there when you died alone." His worst suspicion had been confirmed true as the small imp that followed Sesshomaru spoke up, breaking him from his thoughts.

"This miasma is terrible! There's no way she could survive this!" Jaken exclaimed, placing the sleeve of his kimono over his nose, squinting downward at the acidic liquid frothing over the rocks. Sesshomaru turned his back and began walking away as the little imp youkai lept to his feet and chased after the great demon lord.

"Hold on, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha snapped as he watched the retreating back of his older brother. "Did you just watch her get killed? Didn't you do anything to help?" he questioned as he began trembling, still clutching the broken bow in his hand. He took in breaths through his clenched teeth, trying hard to keep control of himself. Sesshomaru meerly gazed at Inuyasha and turned his back once more, his long white hair flowing out from behind him. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP!" he warned, running towards the demon lord, his hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt, willing and ready to draw his sword and threaten Sesshomaru if that was the only way to get answers.

Sesshomaru still continued walking lazily away from him, but spoke as he did so. "I don't care to know what your connection with that woman was." The great demon lord stopped and gazed back at his brother as if none of this even remotely phased him at all. "The person responsible for killing Kikyou was Naraku, and you...you're the one who didn't save her," the youkai pointed out blatantly. "Inuyasha, blame yourself."

The hanyou growled, his upper lip trembling and his fangs bared between clenched teeth. He didn't want to hear what Sesshomaru had to say. None of this could of happened to Kikyou. Naraku did NOT kill her again. He wouldn't believe it.

"Rather than take your anger out on me, I suggest you go after Naraku," Sesshomaru continued, not paying any heed to Inuyasha's emotions threatening to spill out at any moment now.

"Exactly!" agreed Jaken and he too, turned and followed Sesshomaru through the clouds of gray and brown dust, vanishing from sight.

Now overcome by his emotions and feelings of remorse, Inuyasha fell to his knees on the cliff, still holding tightly onto the broken bow in his hand. "Kikyou...I," he struggled, his voice gasping and cracking as though he were on the verge of tears.

"Inuyasha!" called out the voice of the houshi as himself, Kirara, Kagome, Sango, and Kouga ran towards him.

He was still on his knees, clutching the bow, his other hand pulled into a tight fist. As Kirara landed, Kagome lept off of her, noticing the position that Inuyasha had been in, Kagome automatically expected the worst. Something was terribly wrong with Inuyasha and something horrible had to of happened. The hanyou stood up on his feet again as he heard his friends approach him from behind and picked up Kagome's scent. She clutched the bow and quiver over her shoulder as she took a few steps towards him, worried about what had really happened and what had caused him to fall like that.

"Inuyasha," Kagome spoke gently, but in slight confusion. What had just happened? She stared down at his feet and saw the broken piece of bow that the hanyou had been holding onto and gasped. 'That's...' "Where's Kikyou? Did something happen to her?" Kagome asked, almost afraid to ask judging the way Inuyasha had been on his knees, overwhelmed by his grief and remorse.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied quietly. The hanyou stared down into the billowing miasma below where his beloved Kikyou had fallen. "Naraku wasn't after me...he wanted Kikyou. He wanted to take her life."

'It can't be...Kikyou's gone?' Kagome could do nothing but stare helplessly at him. She didn't know what to say or what to do. She tried to reach out to him, but before the miko could do anything, Inuyasha called out Kikyou's name and took off down into the miasma, leaping across rocks and calling for her. She lowered her hand and then her head, sighing sadly as she did so. The hanyou's concerns didn't lie with her anymore.

They lay with locating Kikyou and making sure she was still alive. Kagome had stayed up all night, waiting for him to return. She never bothered once to lay down and get some sleep in case she missed him coming back. She hated to say it herself, but she wanted to know if Kikyou was alive or dead. If Kikyou were the latter then Kagome could...'No! How could I think such terrible things!' The priestess sat on the cold, hard ground, hoping against hope that he would return soon. 'Inuyasha...how far did you go in search for Kikyou?' The miko's thoughts were interrupted by footsteps approaching her. She gazed upward through the mists and saw something crimson coming towards her.

"Inuyasha?" she spoke uncertainly, hoping that her lack of sleep didn't have her seeing an illusion of him and only coming to realize that it wasn't him. The others heard Kagome's voice and awoke from their sleep, lifting their heads curiously to see if he had really returned. 'Inuyasha, have you returned?' the miko asked herself as he appeared through the early morning fog.

"Kagome?" the hanyou questioned, rather surprised to see the miko up. "Did you wait up all night for me?"

"I...," Kagome began and then lowered her head in defeat. 'You couldn't find Kikyou could you...I want to ask but...' but she thought to herself. Kagome's thoughts were once more interrupted by Inuyasha's voice.

Inuyasha seemed to read the young woman's mind as he too lowered his head. "I just thought that...I'd be able to find her remains atleast."

"Inuyasha," Kagome retierated as she gazed at her beloved hanyou. ' What can I say to him? I can't stand to see him in such pain...I don't know how to console him...'

Inuyasha lifted his head and stared at Kagome, his golden eyes filled with sorrow and remorse. "I'm sorry Kagome," he told her softly. "I'm...okay now."

"You're...okay?" she questioned uncertainly.

The hanyou did not respond. Instead he began walking towards her, staring at the ground as he went. Kagome had hoped and somewhat expected him to stop right there in front of her so she could embrace him, but instead he walked right past her, as if she weren't even there. The young miko gasped and turned around as she watched the hanyou descend away from her. Inuyasha...you don't look okay to me. What can I do? What do I do?/i

The priestess didn't even think twice about it when she had found Kikyou weeks later under a waterfall with a wound so severe that Kagome was surprised the woman was still alive. Kikyou's shikigama had approached her and given her the chance to either leave Kikyou to die or to save her. Kagome had chosen the latter. She would never just allow somebody to die like that. The miko had dove into the water, placed her hands over Kikyou's wound and purified the miasma within it, saving her from a fate that may never allow her soul to rest in peace.

One memory after another and one thought after another of Kikyou raced through Kagome's mind. Her heart and her mind were too filled with the vision of Inuyasha kneeling before Kikyou. His back had been to her, but she could hear their voices speaking softly to one another, she just hadn't been able to make out what they were saying. iWho'd want to of heard what they were saying? He was probably whispering sweet words to her and promising to protect her and how he'd gladly go to Hell with her when this is all over. Well guess what, Inuyasha baka! I'm not about to just sit around and let you use to me to locate Naraku or the sacred jewel! You have Kikyou for that, so why would you need me anymore/i

Kagome felt another lump rising in her throat, threatening her with another onset of tears and she couldn't take it. The miko clutched her hands into small fists, trembling as she did what she could to try and erase the images and memories of Inuyasha and Kikyou from her mind, but she just couldn't. It was too painful. iWhy didn't I just go away when I had the chance? Why did I always allow myself to get hurt this way? What did I do to deserve this? Ugh! I'm just so stupid! Why didn't I listen to my concious when it told me that Inuyasha was in love with Kikyou and not me? Why did I listen to what my heart told me? Instead, I still continue to come back here and help him after everything we've gone through, allowing myself to become closer to him and fall even more in love with him! I AM JUST SO STUPID!/i

Kagome didn't know how long she had been running or how far she had ran for that matter. The miko only had one thing in mind and that was to get as far away from Inuyasha as pheasibly possible, meaning she'd go five hundred years into the future once she reached the well. However would that really futher her from him? Would that distance her enough to her liking? The miko knew the hanyou all too well if she left without even saying anything to him. He'd chase her down that well just like he always did whenever Kagome disappeared off to her time, and Kagome didn't want him to do that to her. Not this time. It'd be much too painful.

The miko could feel the burning in her legs now and if she didn't stop soon, Kagome was going to collapse, but she pressed on, trying to make it to the village before Inuyasha could. She thought too soon. Kagome felt her legs give out from underneath her and she landed hard on the ground, grazing her cheek and her chin as she fell near a pile of brush. Kagome rolled into the brush, allowing her threatening emotions to overtake her body and ignoring the newly inflicted wounds on her face. She began to sob relentlessly, clutching bits of the brush in her hands, not having a care in the world. The miko had become completely numb, only being able to feel the crushing of her soul and the shattering of her heart. Inuyasha had chosen Kikyou, not her. "I-Inuyasha, why!" Kagome wailed into the green leaves of the bushes. "Why would you do this to me again!"

There was a small mew that sounded from very near next to her, followed by a warm fuzzy creature climbing over her shoulder. Kirara had caught up with Kagome and seen the miko fall. Overcome with concern for her human companion she made her way towards Kagome. Kirara let out another soft squeaking mew, nuzzling the tears off of the girl's cheeks.

"Kirara," Kagome choked, gathering the small youkai cat in her arms. "You came all this way just for me?" the miko asked.

Kirara mewed in response and Kagome couldn't help but let a small smile creep up on her face through her tears. She knew Sango had sent the intelligent firecat out to find her and Kagome snuggled the furry two-tail in her arms. Kirara allowed Kagome to cry into her fur, not minding it one bit, and attemped to help her feel better by consistently nuzzing her cheeks. Once Kagome had calmed herself, she sat up in the bushes, brushed her tears away and gazed down at Kirara's big, crimson eyes.

"Sango-chan sent you, didn't she?" Kagome asked softly. The glistening look in Kirara's eyes told her that she had. "Thanks Kirara," the priestess told the little cat, rubbing her gently behind the ears. Kirara squeaked again in response. "Kirara, could you do me a favor?" Kagome asked, staring down at the small demon cat. "Do you think you could take me back to the village so I can go home?"

Kirara mewed in response and lept out of the brush onto the forest path. The small one soon became engulfed in massive flames. The flames dissapated, revealing a rather large cat that looked that of a mountain lion and a saber-tooth. She growled in response to Kagome's request and the miko stood up from the brush.

"Thanks Kirara, I appreciate it this so much," the miko told her as she jumped astride the massive firecat's back.

She wrapped her arms around Kirara's fuzzy neck and the youkai obliged to Kagome's wish, taking a leap in the air and flying towards the village. iHopefully Kirara can get me back before Inuyasha catches up. I do NOT want to see him and if he tries to chase after me, I'm going to tell him what this is doing to me and that as long as he goes and meets with Kikyou then I can't be with him anymore. It's tearing me apart./i

Sunset was approaching as Kagome and Kirara flew above the forest. Kagome had been lost in her thoughts of Inuyasha, Kikyou and herself. She had completely forgotten that Inuyasha's time of vulnerablity was approaching. More than a few times she had to fight back tears that threatened her, but Kirara didn't mind. The youkai cat was intelligent enough to know that the young miko was hurting and she kept releasing soft, comforting sounding growls from her throat to reassure Kagome that she wasn't alone. Kirara was here for her and would stay there for her until Kagome decided to go home. The miko was interrupted in her thoughts by a rather large growl emerging from Kirara's throat. Kagome sat up on her mount's back in confusion.

"Kirara what i-...," Kagome began, but her words were cut off from a rather large gasp. There in front of them was what looked like a black armoured tail, swinging back and forth. Screeching and hissing noises were arising from the creature ahead of them. "WHAT IS THAT!" Kagome cried out in disgust as she instinctively reached behind and withdrew an arrow, placing it firmly on her bow and drawing it back. "IT'S A SCORPION YOUKAI!" she cried out. "KIRARA, GO HIGHER!" Kirara answered to Kagome's command and soared ever higher.

The scorpion demon was was massive as a boulder and easily out-sized the priestess and her mount. Colossal, gleaming, black armour coated it's back. It turned it's great amoured body towards Kagome and Kirara who were hovering in midair. "HIT THE MARK!" Kagome yelled as she released the arrow she had drawn back, aiming for a part on it's body that wasn't armoured. The arrow began to glow with a blazing blue light as it hit the demon full on in the face were there was no protective armour to coat it. The scorpion let out a blood-curling screech in pain and thrashed about on it's seemingly brittle legs. Now acting upon revenge at it's newly injured face, the youkai reared it's arched tail back, pointing the stinger on the end of it directly at Kagome.

"KIRARA!" the priestess cried out as the monster released a yellow liquid from a hole in the stinger of it's tail.

The youkai firecat reacted just in time and lept out of the way of the poison that shot towards them. The two were still suspended in mid-air as Kagome grabbed another arrow, readying herself. She was going to shoot the tail and hope against hope that she could hit the tail, causing the stinger to fall off so the beast could no longer use it's poison against her. "GO!" she yelled as she fired the arrow. It flew downward at a nearly blazing speed, issuing the same blue, purifying light as it always did, and when Kagome was certain she'd managed to pull it off, the scorpion swung it's tail right into the head of the purifying arrow, causing it to richochet off and bury itself somewhere deep in the ground below them.

iOh no! My arrow didn't work! What do we do!?/i Kagome thought desperately as the black armoured monster raised it's tail to strike yet again, releasing another jet of poison towards herself and Kirara. The demon cat lept out of the way yet again, the poison barely coming within an inch of touching the cat's fur. Kirara screeched in frustration as she made her way down to the youkai and bared her fangs. Kirara reared herself back, ready to release a full fledged attack when the scorpion youkai was just a bit too quick for her. The side of it's tail slammed into Kirara's back, causing Kagome to go flying off and Kirara to go crashing downward into a cliff.

The impact she made on the cliff knocked the cat unconcious. Kagome screamed Kirara's name as she soared helplessly through the air. She was on her own this time. There was no Inuyasha to come and save her. The scorpion demon advanced upon the girl, raising it's digustingly, armoured tail. It brought the stinger slashing across the frightened miko's side and leg, grazing her hip and slicing her leg wide open. Kagome cried out again and began backing up across the ground on her hands and knees. Kirara had been knocked unconcious, her sacred arrows weren't working and she was all alone. Inuyasha wasn't there to save her and protect her this time. Kagome had been rendered completely helpless in the company of a venomous, scorpion youkai.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- A Dangerous Encounter

iDammit! Where in the hell is she? I can hardly even pick her scent anymore!/i Inuyasha thought furiously to himself as he sprinted across the forest path, the sleeves of his fire rat haori flew out from behind him and his waist-length silver hair blew wildly from behind as well. The hanyou twitched his ears to every single small sound he had picked up in hopes of it being Kagome. He stopped in nearly every place where her scent had been the strongest, dug through bushes and searched for any sign of priestess but he had found nothing.

The sunset was nearing and so was the hanyou's time of vulnerablity. What would happen if he didn't find Kagome before the stars began to show one right after the other in the massive celestial sphere above them, when the gold left his eyes leaving them a deep blue-gray hue and his hair changed to black? When his white dog ears on top of his head lowered themselves to his jawline, forming in a perfect human ear and when he was stripped of any demonic power that he may possess, what would happen then? Tonight was to be the night of the new moon. Inuyasha would completely lose any youki he attained until daybreak when the sun's first rays hit him, bringing him back into power once more, but so many things could happen in one night. Only too many times had Inuyasha discovered this and every single it time it happened, Kagome had been right by his side. She had always sort of been like his comfort zone during this time when he became defenseless, but if she weren't there now, what would he do? His comfort zone not being there...how would the hanyou handle it?

Inuyasha always hated this time. He always became vulnerable to everything, overtaken by any normal human strengths and weakenesses and able to express normal human emotions just like any normal human being would and he hated that. Kami, how he hated that. It made him look like a weakling to the others around him. He couldn't protect them and fight with them like he normally could when he was back to his normal self, a hanyou, especially Kagome. On more than one occasion did Inuyasha recall Kagome's protecting of him, saving him and helping him. There was always something about her though when he was in human form that calmed him, made him feel at peace with himself, despite the fact that she had been angry the first time she saw him as a human. Inuyasha would never forget the first time he had transformed in front of her.The half-demon had just been stupid enough to not tell the others that he was nearing his time of vulnerablity. The hanyou couldn't help but feel defenseless when that time came. He had learned as he grew, not to trust anybody, especially at this time, for that was the only way he knew how to protect himself.

iHis entire head had been coated in the white, sticky substance as they made their escape from the temple the spiderheads had attacked. Tetsusaiga had not transformed and that infuriated him even more. He could feel the transformation now taking over his body and it was completely out of his control. There was nothing that could be done. His friends were about to find out, there was no more hiding it. Kagome, Shippou and Myoga followed him outside near the trees where he landed on his knees, clutching the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha spoke softly, Kagome right behind him.

"What's with you?" she asked in a concerned tone, for she too had noticed Tetsusaiga had not transformed in the battle against the spiderheads. "You're acting weirder than usual."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Inuyasha snapped at the girl.

Kagome's big brown eyes widened in slight surprise, and Inuyasha knew she was wondering why on earth he'd snap at her like that. Inuyasha also knew that Kagome could tell something was definantly wrong and the last thing he wanted was for her to find out his secret, but it was a bit too late. He almost even wanted to keep the sticky spidersilk covering him so Kagome couldn't see his transformation.

"What has gotten into you!?" the miko demanded as she began pulling the sticky, white from his hair. She let out a soft gasp as the removal of the spiderwebs gave her an image of something she fully did not expect to see. Inuyasha's hair had turned raven black and his normally golden eyes turned a deep, steely, blue-gray.

"Forget about me for now, you should be more worried about yourselves," Inuyasha told her stoicly.

Kagome just stared after him in surprise. She didn't want to say or really what to think, only she noticed that his hair had changed. "You're hair has gone black!" she pointed out softly as the hanyou moved out of her reach and leaned up against a tree. He did indeed look upset and maybe even somewhat angry.

"If you're relying on my strength to save you this time, you'd better thinf again," he warned the girl and the others.

"W-what do you mean?" Shippou asked, looking as shocked as Kagome had when his eyes fell on the half-demon turned human.

"Inuyasha? Is that you?" Kagome asked, still not daring to believe what she'd been seeing. Inuyasha could tell Kagome was confused and probably wondering how on earth could his hair just change from that beautiful, silvery white to jet black?

"No, I'm a talking puppet!" he replied sarcastically, rolling his dark, blue-gray orbs.

Shippou lept up from where he had been seated next to Kagome and hopped up on Inuyasha's head, feeling around the area where his fuzzy white ears normally sat perched. "Hey! Your dog ears are gone!" the kitsune acknowleged.

"You're not half-demon anymore, you're human!" the miko stated as she scooted closer to Inuyasha and perched up on her knees on the forest floor continung to stare at him in surprise.

The hanyou reached his hand back and grabbed Shippou from the top of his head where the little youkai had been digging around in his black tresses, searching for his dog ears. Changing into a human was already agitating enough, let alone having a little demon digging through his hair and reminding him that those dog ears were no longer there, serving as another hard reminder that tonight was his period of vulnerablity.

"You're lucky my claws and fangs are gone," Inuyasha snapped at Shippou as he slammed the little fox youkai down on the ground, perhaps a little harder than he anticipated to.

A frustrated and angry expression crossed Kagome's face as she continued to stare at the half-demon turned human in front of her. "All right! How about explaining to me just WHAT is going on!"

Myouga went into the explanation of how half-demons are always subject to a certain time when they lose their demonic powers and become human. Kagome didn't really understand what he meant at first, but the wise old flea youkai went on to explain it to her. He explained that from time to time, all half-demons are rendered no stronger than any other human. The flea youkai then went on to clarify that for Inuyasha his time was always the time of the new cycle, when the moon did not show in the sky, the night of the new moon. Myouga then went to leap onto Inuyasha's shoulder in apparent distress.

"Master Inuyasha, why didn't you tell us that you're period of vulnerablity was appending!" Myouga squeaked, leaping up and down on the hanyou's shoulder.

"Because if I had you would have taken off a long time ago," Inuyasha replied harshly at the bouncing flea demon on his shoulder.

Myouga stopped bouncing as a few sweat drops appeared on his forehead and he folded his four arms, turning his head away from Inuyasha looking stung. "Have you not a wit of trust in me?" the old flea asked, keeping his head turned from the irritated hanyou.

"Yeah! I trust you to run away when there's trouble!" the raven-haried man yelled. Truth be told, Myouga did always flee when there was any sign of danger, however Kagome didn't feel the same way, but Inuyasha didn't realize that. He was too busy worried about himself.

"Then what?" came Kagome's voice. Inuyasha turned back towards to Kagome and stared at the frustrated miko. "You can't rely on me either! If you'd had told me that you'd be losing your powers, I never would have insisted we stay in the temple with Nazuna. So much for being able to lean on your close friends!" the priestess snapped.

Inuyasha, who had been leaning back against a tree, leaned forward staring at Kagome angrily, his arms folded inside of the sleeves of his haori as usual. He didn't know why but it made him angry and almost irritated that they had discovered his 'secret.'

"I don't trust anybody...GOT IT!" the hanyou reamed the girl in front of him. Kagome gasped, bringing a closed fist to her chest, clearly stung by his words. He could tell she was, otherwise that hurt expression that he hated seeing on her wouldn't have crossed her pretty face. 'Dammit...I had to go and hurt her again by saying something I shouldn't have...'

"Keh, it's got nothing to do you with you," he replied arrogantly, turning his head away from her and Shippou. Inuyasha closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at either of them. "It's the way I've lived up until now. It's the only way I know how to protect myself."

"Inuyasha, I hear what you're saying...I just wish you'd opened up to me more as your friend," Kagome told him, her voice brimming with tears.

That was the only thing that caused the hanyou to look back over at her, and he leaned in staring at her, watching the crystalline tears fill her eyes, and immediately he felt guilty. Without warning, Kagome buried her face in her hands and proceeded to breakdown in front of him, hurt and bewildered that Inuyasha had not told her that this was happening.

"No, wait!" he exclaimed, hating to see her cry. "I'm the one who's supposed to be down!" the hanyou tried to speak sympathetically to the girl. This had been the second time that he could remember he had made her cry and Inuyasha would never admit it, but it killed him to see her like that.

"If it weren't for your pride we wouldn't even be in this boat!" the miko continued to sob into her hands. She then lept forward into his face, pointing a finger at him furiously. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS BIG TIME PAL! GRAB A BRAIN WOULD YOU, YOU DOUGH HEAD!"

Inuyasha lept forward right back into Kagome's face, causing the girl to fall back on her knees and flinch. He balled his hands into fists. This was NOT how he had expected Kagome to react to his change and if anything it infuriated him even more, but he also couldn't help but feel relieved that Kagome wasn't going to run out on him and leave him all alone. "YOU'RE THE DOUGH HEAD!" he shouted back in the woman's face who sat there surprised, still pointing her finger at him and staring.

"YOU COULD'VE SAID NO TO STAYING AT THE TEMPLE!" she shot back heatedly.

"WHAT ARE YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT!? WE'RE SAFE NOW AREN'T WE!? the hanyou snapped back at the fiesty miko. Atleast they were fightning. That was a good sign to realizing that Kagome never planned to leave his side at all, half-demon or not.

Inuyasha wouldn't admit it then and he wouldn't admit it now, but the hanyou had been extremely grateful that Kagome had been there with him that night. If she wouldn't have been there or if she would have listened to him when he told her to run, the hanyou surely would have died. He had heard about more attacks at the temple and given Kagome Tetsusaiga, explaining that the sword wouldn't transform for him tonight so it'd do him no good to keep it with him. As long as Tetsusaiga was there protecting her that's all that mattered.

The hanyou had then made his way into the temple, trying to remain confident in his susceptible state, he'd be able to take care of the demons himself. Was he ever wrong. Inuyasha had been attacked by the lead of the spiderheads with nothing to defend himself, considering he was only a mere human. The spider youkai had buried his fangs into Inuyasha's flesh, injecting massive quanitities of poison and he had been rendered completely helpless. The hanyou was left to hang there by the white spidersilk that bound him to the poles inside of the temple. He was surprised when the young miko burst into the room, clutching Tetsusaiga in her hands, Nazuna by her side. She had clarified that the priest had been decieving the young girl when her eyes caught sight of Inuyasha hanging helplessly upside down by the spidersilk.

"Ka-go-me, save yourself," he strained to speak to the woman who was ascending towards him.

"No chance!" she told him furiously as she continued to leap up the wooden poles.

"I'm serious...it's too late for me!" the hanyou stated, trying to will Kagome to get out of any sort of danger. Tonight he just couldn't protect her and if anything had happened to her because of his weakness, Inuyasha would never be able to forgive himself.

"I'm not leaving here without you!" Kagome insisted as she climbed up towards him, tears filling her eyes. "No...way!"

The girl took a diving leap forward with Tetsusaiga clutched in both hands, holding the weapon as if she were going to do chin-ups with it. Inuyasha blinked as he stared at the miko leaping towards him, crystalline tears were flying from the corners of her eyes and she slammed the sword into the spidersilk, breaking the hold it had on the hanyou. The two fell to the floor of the temple and Inuyasha was completely unconcious. With the help of Shippou and Nazuna, they had managed to get him safely into a room while thrusting Tetsusaiga into the closed door to buy them time.

It would ward off the spiderhead youkai and Kagome would be able to tend to Inuyasha until he regained his youki once more. Later that night, Myouga had taken to draw out the poison inside of Inuyasha and retreated to the corner where Shippou and Nazuna had fallen asleep. Inuyasha's breathing had become laboured, he had dried blood at the corner of his mouth and he was drenched in sweat. Kagome had taken a handkerchief from her backpack and began dabbing tenderly at his forehead when the hanyou opened his steely gray eyes staring upward at the beauty in front of him. She moved the cloth from his head and held it at her chest.

"I'm sorry! Did I wake you up?" the miko asked softly.

"No," Inuyasha replied in a strained voice. He turned his head away from her, gazing off at nothing, wanting to ask her the question that burned in his mind. "Kagome," he began.

"What is it?" Kagome asked, leaning closer towards him, trying to see his face, but Inuyasha kept his dark head turned from her.

"Tell me something...why were you crying?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"Huh? Back in the other room?" Kagome asked him incredulously, probably wondering why on earth he had asked her such a question. Inuyasha closed his eyes as he remembered what he saw when Kagome had came to his rescue for a change. Sparkling tears had flown from the corners of her eyes she zoomed determinedly towards the hanyou, desperate to free him, to save him. It had shocked him.

"Because...I thought I was going to lose you," Kagome told him honestly. "I thought you were gonna...die," she spoke the last word with dreaded emphasis.

"You shed tears for me...cried for me," Inuyasha stated more to himself than to anyone. He would never admit this to Kagome but the fact that she had cried for his sake touched him more than she knew. Inuyasha could never recall a time where anybody had cried for him except his mother. "Kagome," he continued. "If it's not too much trouble, may I lie on your lap?"

Much to Inuyasha's relief, Kagome had agreed to it and she moved his head tenderly into her lap, so he could rest easily. "How do you feel? A little better than before?" the miko asked softly, gazing downward at his weakened state. His dark, blue-gray eyes remained closed.

"Yes," he replied softly, turning his head slightly towards her stomach. "Kagome...you smell kind of nice."

"Okay that's it. You made it a point before to tell me that you couldn't stand my scent!" Kagome pointed out. Inuyasha could tell she was shocked by his words.

"I did," the hanyou began as he turned his head even closer to her. "But I was lying..."/i

iI truly had been lying...I never hated her fragrance. Not once. I was just so angry that Kikyou had killed me. I had taken it all out on Kagome before I ever even really got to know her, but now I do know her. Kagome's been able to heal the wounds in my heart. She's touched me in a way that nobody has ever touched me before and probably nobody else could have. Ugh! I'm starting to go all sappy! Curse these fucking human emotions!/i Inuyasha was lost in his thoughts as he gazed upward at the setting sun. The sky's hue was beginning to change from blue to a hazy orange and pink. It wouldn't be long now. The hanyou could slowly feel his heightened sense of smell beginning to ebb away and it was getting harder to hear things so keenly now.

However, something just ahead of him caught his eye and he skidded to a stop. Dust billowed out from underneath his feet. Inuyasha turned his silvery-white head and gazed downward at a pile of bushes that had been lain flat. Somebody had been inside of these bushes. Not wanting to waste time, the hanyou lept over to them and lowered himself, breathing in deep. Kagome's scent! Kagome was here?

"KA-GO-MEEEE!!" Inuyasha called out to the treetops as he stood up, clutching his fists at his sides. "You're there aren't you Kagome! You have to be close by, I can smell you!" He lowered himself back down to the bushes and picked up another scent that he hadn't picked up earlier. "Kirara...so, Kirara's with you then Kagome? I can't pick up your scent anymore...so that must mean that Kagome and Kirara are back at the village...unless..." Inuyasha stopped in mid sentence as he gazed down at where Kagome had been previously laying. He felt something creep up the back of his neck and a horrible sensation washed over him. What if something had happened to Kagome?

iWhy am I getting this foreboding feeling? Could...could something have happened to Kagome and Kirara on their way back to the village? NO! DAMMIT! YOU HANG ON KAGOME! I'M COMING!/i Inuyasha turned back to the trail and took off at a speed that he never thought possible. Whenever Kagome was in any sort of immediate danger, Inuyasha always felt a burst of adrenaline run through his body, willing him to go faster and get to her as quickly as he could.

Her scent was still extremely fresh so he knew they couldn't be that far away. Time always seemed to fly whenever there was something important he had to do. The hanyou didn't know nor did he care how long he had been running when he heard a screeching sound piercing the air just ahead of him. Inuyasha picked up a strange scent, but had no idea what it was. It was hard to decipher as the sun was now disappearing behind the peaks, but Inuyasha knew it could only be one thing...a youkai. He hurried as fast as he could when he heard another sound ring through the air, only this time it wasn't not an inhuman sound. It was a voice, screaming. A familiar voice, a female voice.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled desperately. iPlease tell me I'm not too late! Please tell me that she isn't hurt!/i

Inuyasha grasped the ragged handle of Tetsusaiga and began to remove it from it's sheath as the black armoured shell of the scorpion demon came into view. The hanyou withdrew the massive fang sword from it's sheath, followed by a blazing, yellow light. The scorpion had taken to wrapping it's tail around Kagome's body, lifting her up and swaying her around like a ragdoll.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome tried to scream, but only came out as strained tone.

Inuyasha could tell that the very breath and life were being squeezed out of the defenseless young miko. "NO WAY YOU BASTARD!" the hanyou yelled as he lept into the air, brandishing his Tetsusaiga high above his head. "NO WAY IN HELL WILL I LET YOU KILL KAGOME! HAVE A TASTE OF MY TETSUSAIGA!" he cried, slamming the massive blade down on the scorpion's head. It let out a thundering screech of pain and it's tail loosened around Kagome. The youkai tottered on it's feet, obviously severely thrown off by Inuyasha's unexpected attack.

She let out a blood curdling scream as the miko began falling through mid-air. The hanyou's instincts kicked in quickly as he lept through the air after her. No way in hell was he about to let her fall to her death. "KAGOME!" he cried out, opening his arms to her and caught her in them just before the scorpion youkai could turn and launch another attack.

Kagome clutched onto the front of his fire rat haori, coughing and sputtering for the breath that had been drawn from her. "Inu-ya-sha," she forced out as they moved a safe distance away from the angry demon. The hanyou landed flawlessly on his feet and moved Kagome to a place safer from the battle.

"You stay right here," the hanyou warned, crouching low next to her and gazing at her worriedly. He saw the blood drenched through her skirt and the wide open cut on her leg. iWhy the hell didn't I smell this on her earlier!?/i The hanyou thought furiously to himself. He gazed at Kagome, trying to keep a look of brashness on his face. "I'll take care of this bastard myself!"

"Wait, Inuyasha!" called Kagome, tugging on his sleeve. "The sun's almost set. You'll be human again in no time! Please don't do it!"

"Keh! That doesn't matter! I'll finish this guy off and send him to Hell before the sun goes down. Just you watch," the hanyou replied arrogantly, but in truth, Inuyasha was beginning to lose his confidence. iI have to finish this demon off and fast before I completely change and won't be able to do a damn thing!/i

Inuyasha rose from Kagome's side and hurried back over to where the scorpion youkai was recovering from Inuyasha's brutal attack. It was already into full fledged attack mode now and there was no getting out of it until the best was dead. Inuyasha never noticed the sun as it finally disappeared from the sky. Instead, he ruthlessly fought the beast, trying his best to do everything he could to keep it from unleashing any attacks on Kagome.

"DIE ALREADY YOU BASTARD! I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE ON YOU!" the hanyou threatened as he lifted the sword above his head. He was about the perform the Kaze no Kizu when he felt the energy draining from his blade.i No...oh no...DAMMIT TETSUSAIGA, DON'T TRANSFORM ON ME NOW! I NEED YOU TO FINISH HIM OFF! The sun! It's gone...please tell me I'm not going to start transforming now! I-I need my power to finish this thing off!/i

The half-demon brought the blade of the fang sword back downward and stared at it. His golden orbs widened and he was shaking his head in disbelief as it transformed back into a rusted, beat up looking blade in his hands. "What'll I do now? The sword's transformed! GAH!" He lept backwards as the scorpion made it's advance on the hanyou. "KAGOME! RUN!" Inuyasha told the helpless woman who was laying just behind him. The hanyou lept back as it made another attempt to swipe him. "YOU GOTTA GET OUT OF HE-AAAUUGHHH!!!"

"INUYASHAAAAAAAAAA!" Kagome screamed, anguish enveloping her voice.

Inuyasha's words were cut off with a wail of pain that escaped his throat. He felt himself being pierced by something directly in the middle of his stomach. Inuyasha's eyes continued to stay widened as the stinger from the massive scorpion impaled him senselessly. The pain was so intense as the sharp, pointed organ entered his flesh that the hanyou could barely withstand it. Inuyasha could feel the burning sensation as the youkai injected massive amounts of poison into his body.

"UUUUUUUUUGH!" Inuyasha yelled in agony as he felt himself weakening, his strength was slowly leaving his body and he had no more will to fight. The hanyou had been rendered completely helpless. He heard Kagome scream his name consistently, but now she had sounded so far away.

"Ka-go-me...I'm...so sorry," Inuyasha struggled to say and felt the blood gush up into the back of his throat. Everything around him was going hazy. His vision was blurring as the hanyou struggled to stay concious. Very far away he thought he heard the screams and yells of his other friends approaching, but maybe the poison was making his mind play tricks on him. Before he could even remotely tell if it were the others, Inuyasha's body fell limp as he drifted out of conciousness.

"HIRAKOTSU!" came Sango's voice as she lifted her colossal boomerang-like weapon and threw it with full force right at the youkai's tail. The weapon's attack was strong enough to completely slaughter the tail in half. Inuyasha came tumbling down along with the poisionous limb and landed heavily on his side.

"I'll take care of the rest!" Miroku demanded as he stepped in front of the demon slayer. He lifted his right head and removed the prayer beads that entwined his wrist and pulled back the cloth that held his dangerous limb at bay. "KAZAANA!" cried out Miroku as the forceful, sucking wind emerged from his hand. It was like a massive tornado had been released as brush and rocks were being sucked in, followed by the insane screeching and wailing of the scorpion youkai as it met it's demise to Miroku's wind tunnel. The houshi closed his hand back up and stared firmly where the youkai had once been standing.

Kagome had crawled across the ground over to where an unconcious Inuyasha lie. "Inuyasha...Inuyasha please wake up! Don't you dare die on me!" the girl cried out, trying desperately to pull the stinger out of his body.

She wrapped both arms around it and pulled hard, but couldn't get it out on her own. Sango and Miroku hurried over to help the desperate priestess. All three of them put their arms around it and pulled with all of the strength they could muster. The stinger released itself, oozing and hissing with yellow poison. Kirara had finally come to and Shippou, who had been seperated from Kirara, had met up with the others as they chased after Inuyasha and Kagome's whereabouts. Inuyasha's comrades walked over to where the hanyou lay as the stars began to twinkle in the sky. They all gasped softly as the Inuyasha's hair changed from it's silvery white to raven black and his dog ears disappeared from the top of his head. He no longer had his demonic powers which only made things worse. Inuyasha would no longer be able to heal as quickly as he normally could, which would mean he would be more subjected to the poison as usual.

"Inuyasha, please open your eyes!" Kagome pleaded softly grasping his hand in hers. It was like before when the spiderhead had attacked him. His skin was going pale and the expression on his face bleak. His eyes were closed and the sweat began beading on his forehead. Kagome reached a hand up to brush back some of his dark strands of hair. He was fully human now and nothing could be done until the sun rose. Would he make it through the night?

"Don't you go dying on me. Not yet," Kagome whispered as she clutched his hand in hers. The miko laid herself over his chest, still holding his hand in hers, buried her face into his fire rat and began to cry softly. "Inuyasha, please...say something!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Kagome and Inuyasha's Misunderstanding

"He's not waking up, is he?" Kagome asked tearfully as she sat up from where she had been laying across his chest. The miko brought her gaze downward to Inuyasha's face. Her friends had closed around she and her hanyou, staring at the both of them worriedly. A agonized young woman stared up into the solemn faces of her comrades. "That poison is going to kill him before we can even get him back to the village in time," Kagome whispered through her continuous tears. Sango knelt down next to her and placed a hand on the side of Kagome's face in comfort.

"Kagome-chan," the demon slayer spoke softly. "You can't think like that. You have to have faith in Inuyasha. He's made it through tight spots like these before. He can make it again. Just have a little faith. He needs that right now," Sango added, trying to assure the girl that Inuyasha would be fine. However, Sango had her doubts as well. She wasn't sure what type of condition Inuyasha would be in once they arrived at the village. Even more so, she didn't know how Kagome would be either, for she had been injured as well by the youkai's venomous stinger.

"But Sango-chan what if he doesn't make it?" Kagome persisted. "If he doesn't, it'll be all my fault. If I had just stayed around long enough for him to explain what happened instead of running off the way I did, then this never would have happened to him. We wouldn't have been attacked, he wouldn't have gotten himself hurt while trying to protect me and we would been to the village by now, safe and sound," Kagome murmered as fresh, stinging tears filled her eyes. iBut what if he had been coming to give me a confession of wanting to be with Kikyou and not me? What if he had been coming to tell me he changed his mind about staying with me? How would I have handled that? And yet.../i

"Kagome-chan, you can't lay the blame all on yourself. Inuyasha wouldn't want you to put this all on just you. It's obvious he went searching for you and it was all his own doing to protect you from that scorpion demon," the slayer explained gently as she used a thumb to brush away Kagome's tears.

The miko welcomed the demon exterminator's touch and she leaned into the hand of the woman she considered a sister, allowing the hand to brush away her tears. This was so hard. Why did they have to be like this now? What was it Inuyasha had been coming to tell her? He had tried to protect her, hadn't he? So did Kagome overreact for nothing? The priestess didn't know how she would even cope if anything happened to her beloved hanyou, Kikyou or not. She continued to hold his hand tightly in hers, gazing down at his pale, perspiring face. Inuyasha's breath was becoming short and laboured. He was fighting for every ounce of strength he possibly had left in his body. The hanyou turned human arched his head back, taking in a sharp gasp and followed it with a grunt. "Ka-go-me," he panted, but still did not awaken. Kagome's eyes widened in shock at the sound of her name issuing from him as she watched Inuyasha struggling through the poison that she knew was filtering his veins. The hanyou turned human's dark eyes still remained shut, but Kagome could tell that Inuyasha was in pain.

"H-his hand is going so cold," the miko acknowledged as she brought her face to rest on it. "We've got to try and get back to the village before he gets any-," Kagome's words were cut off.

What was this? Kagome was struggling to keep herself remaining upright now, and her head felt like it was spinning. It slammed the girl with such a force that Kagome was sure she was going to pass out if she didn't lay down and quickly. Upon the hanyou's severely sustained injuries, Kagome had completely forgotten about what the scorpion youkai had done to her. It had grazed her hip and sliced her leg wide open, allowing the blood to flow freely. The priestess had to of lost too much blood and that was why she was feeling so weak and frail. The strength was quickly beginning to leave her body now. The wounds on her hip and leg cut deep and the poison that had been initiated from the youkai's stinger had touched her flesh. It was beginning to seep it's way into her bloodstream now, sending white hot pain through her limbs. Would this poison slowly deteriorate and kill the two?

"Kagome-chan!" cried out Sango as the girl's eyes slowly began to close. She gazed up at the demon slayer through half-lidded eyes. Sango's form was blurring and Kagome could feel she was about to lose conciousness soon. Her leg had been bleeding profusely as well. She hissed through her teeth as she felt the pain expanding through her body now. There was no stopping it. She and Inuyasha were going to die together. iAtleast...atleast we're not alone...atleast we're going together.../i Kagome thought to herself before she fully lost conciousness. The girl's dark eyes closed shut and she fell limply onto Inuyasha's chest, never hearing the cries of her friends.

"Oh no, Kagome-sama!" Miroku's voice came from behind Sango as they watched the woman fall.

"NO KAGOME! PLEASE WAKE UP!" Shippou's small voice pierced the air as he ran over to Kagome, tears quickly filling his big, green eyes. The little kitsune whimpered as he darted towards her face, placing one of his small hands on her flesh. "She's starting to feel cold too!" he whimpered.

"KAGOME-CHAN!" cried out Sango in slight desperation as she lifted the unconcious woman in her arms. "Houshi-sama, check Kagome's bag! There's got to be some bandages in there. We need to somehow slow the bleeding down in her leg!"

The monk nodded in silence and as he flipped the top of Kagome's yellow backpack that she had left behind. He lifted out a first aid kit and gathered what little was left of the bandages inside. "There's not much left, Sango. Hopefully this will be enough. Kaede should have more back at the village for Inuyasha as well," Miroku hoped outloud.

"Master Inuyasha! Master Inuyasha!" came a small voice from just behind Sango and Miroku. The demon slayer and houshi gazed downward with a small 'huh?' and came to meet the bouncing form that was Myouga, the flea demon. "What has happened here! I knew tonight was Inuyasha-sama's period of vulnerability, so please tell me everything is-," Myouga stopped as his flea eyes widened as the sight before him. Inuyasha's body still continued to lay sprawled out lifelessly across the ground and Kagome was tucked in Sango's arms. "OH ME OH MY! WHAT ON EARTH HAS HAPPENED HERE!"

"They tried to fight a scorpion youkai, and judging by the looks of things, Tetsusaiga must have transformed in the middle of the fight," the monk answered as he picked up the sword from the ground, studying the cracked-looking fang weapon. He knelt down to the hanyou's side and slid the sword back into it's proper place. "He was poisoned by the demon's stinger. We were able to eliminate it, but we arrived just a bit too late," Miroku sighed as he hung his dark head, shaking it solemnly. "Inuyasha has been impaled with the scorpion's stinger and it looks as though Kagome has recieved some of it's poison as well." He pointed towards the unconcious miko in Sango's arms.

"OH NO! I shall draw the poison from their blood but that is the best that I can do!" the old flea youkai offered. He bounced over to Inuyasha and thrust his small stinger-like nose into the hanyou's neck. Myouga began sucking the poison from his body, his size ever growing while doing so. The youkai removed his sucker from Inuyasha's neck and the hanyou drew a ragged breath, his chest rising and falling with each abated breath. "Ka-go-me...get...down," Inuyasha mumbled, but he did not wake up.

The old flea made his way over to Kagome and retierated on her as he did with Inuyasha, only this time he thrust his sucking stinger into Kagome's leg where she was wounded most. By the time he had finished drawing the poison from both Inuyasha and Kagome's bodies, Myouga had roughly reached the size of Shippou. He rolled across the ground, groaning and holding his belly. "I think I drank too much," the flea demon moaned as he rolled straight into a patch of grass. "Just get 'em back to the village as fast as possible, uuuughhh," the nauseated youkai groaned weakly.

The demon slayer nodded fervently as she set to work on the wounded miko with what was left of the bandages. She wrapped the bandage around the injury as tight as it would go and secured it, hoping against hope that the pressure it was applying would help stem the flow of blood. "Kirara, can you please help?" Sango beckoned to the miniture cat demon who was sitting next to Shippou, trying to console him.

The firecat looked up at Sango and tilted her head slightly, releasing a small, squeaking mew in understanding. There was a burst of flame and the twin-tail youkai had transformed once more into the massive form that she could attain in any time of need. Sango lifted Kagome's limp figure up in her arms and placed the young woman on Kirara's fuzzy back. Miroku had taken the liberty to lift Inuyasha and place him at the front of Kirara's back. Sango leaned Kagome carefully up against Inuyasha's back, her limp arms draping on either sides of his waist. The demon slayer removed her Hiraikotsu and placed the strap around Kirara, hoping that the weapon would help protect the unconcious pair.

"Be careful with them Kirara," Sango told her youkai companion, giving her a small pat on the face. Kirara closed her eyes and let out a soft growl of acknowledgement. Shippou lept up onto the top of Kirara's head, laying in between her ears.

"I wanna ride with Inuyasha and Kagome! Please let me ride with them, Sango! Please please please!" Shippou exploded, tears were pouring down the little kit's face.

"If we don't hurry, we won't be able to catch up with them," the monk pointed out. "Sango climb on my back and I'll carry you. Shippou, you can ride with Kagome-sama and Inuyasha. We'll meet you back at Kaede's hut."

Kirara released another growl and lifted her body, taking to the skies. Sango climbed on Miroku's back, hoping that he wasn't planning on groping her rear-end on their way back to the village. She was greatly relieved when she felt his hands holding her legs and not her butt, but the monk wasn't concentrating on that right now. All he wanted to do was get the village as quickly as possible in hopes to save his friends.

Kagome's eyes fluttered opened as she felt the cool, night air hit her face. iWhat on earth??? Where am I?/i the miko wondered and then she felt the familiar material of Inuyasha's fire rat haori against her cheek. Kagome forced open her heavy-feeling eyes and realized that she was in the air, riding on Kirara's back. Inuyasha was still in human form as well and the memories of what had just happened came flooding back to the young woman. Eyes brimming once more, the miko tried to force out the image of Inuyasha laying lifelessly before she had passed out. iInuyasha, please tell me you're alive...please tell me you're okay./i

Kagome didn't feel the white-hot pain that had been coursing through her blood and veins anymore. It had been replaced with a tingling, aching sensation, not exactly the best feeling, it was better than feeling like her insides were on fire. If it had felt like that for her, just how intense had it been for Inuyasha? Considering he had been impaled and injected with venom, it had to of been nearly unbearable for him, especially with him being human.

The priestess pressed her face furthermore into his back and she could hear his faint heartbeat from somewhere within. The little miko breathed a sigh of relief as she realized her hanyou was still alive. Using what little strength she had left, Kagome wrapped her arms securely around Inuyasha's waist and buried her face into his back, eyes burning with unshed tears. iIf you don't make it...or even if you do and decide to go with Kikyou, then atleast I could hold you like this one more time.../i Kagome peered over Kirara's shoulder. She could see the village just ahead and caught a glimpse of Kaede's hut before extreme vertigo took her once more into a unconciousness.

The demon cat lowered herself down to the ground in front of Kaede's hut, growling loudly enough so the elderly miko would hear her. Miroku came running up from just behind the cat as fast he could. The houshi was panting as he made his stop next to Kirara and Sango lept off of his back as the two approached the youkai cat. There was a rustling as a heavy-set, elderly woman dressed in traditional miko clothing stepped out from behind the bamboo curtain securing the doorway. She wore a black eye patch over her eye and her grayed mane of hair was tied back in a ponytail with a white hairband.

"Sango! Miroku! I wondered where ye all had been," the elderly priestess stated as she advanced towards the group. Her good eye caught sight of the unconcious duo on Kirara's back and a gasp issued from the old woman's mouth. "What on earth happened here!?"

"It's a long story, Kaede-sama. May we bring Inuyasha and Kagome-sama into the hut? We need you to brew some medicinal herbs and an antidote for scorpion youkai poisoning," the houshi explained as he reached up to Kirara and placed Inuyasha's limp body over his shoulder.

"Oh my. I had forgotten tonight was the night of the new moon," Kaede exclaimed softly, placing her hands up to her mouth. "Tonight is the night where Inuyasha has become human. He must have been rendered completely helpess to be in the state such as he is."

Sango wasted no time in removing the Hiraikotsu and Kagome from the demon cat's back. The demon slayer carried the girl in a fireman's carry, stepping past the bamboo curtain and into the warm hut that was Kaede's. The elderly miko had quickly set to work, brewing up the medicinal herbs and the antidote for the hanyou and the little miko. She sat down next to Inuyasha and removed his clothing he wore over his upper body, to reveal the wound he had sustained from the demon. Kaede gasped softly as the wound came into appearance.

There was an intense hole in his stomach, atleast three inches deep and as round as a baseball. It had turned black, but was red-rimmed around the surface and bits of yellow, dried venom stuck to the injury. The old miko quickly set to work, pasting a healing salve over Inuyasha's wound, while Sango tended to Kagome's on her hip and leg. As the two women worked, nor Inuyasha or Kagome budged. Once the two were pasted and bandaged, Kaede tipped an antidote she had brewed into the mouths of the wounded couple. Inuyasha had bandages wrapped around his stomach, and the elderly miko took it upon herself to put the hanyou's haori back on, in case he became cold or developed a fever from the venomous attack. After that, Miroku helped move the two into the corner of the room, laying them side by side.

"So they were poisoned, ye say?" questioned the elderly priestess, breaking the silence that had befallen the room as the companions worked.

"Yes. Thankfully Myouga arrived and found us just in time to draw the poison from Inuyasha and Kagome's bodies," the monk remarked.

"How on earth did this happen? Can you please explain to me how Inuyasha and Kagome both came to be so gravely injured?" Kaede retierated.

"Well, to put it frankly, Inuyasha went off and met with Kikyou again!" piped up Shippou, folding his arms in childish way and glaring down at the wounded hanyou. An expression of guilt crossed his face from his outburst as he stared at the helpless being that was Inuyasha. iKami, he looks so bad...maybe I shouldn't be so mean that he saw Kikyou. Poor Inuyasha and Kagome./i The little fox youkai curled up next to Inuyasha's arm and he too fell off into dreamland.

"I see, so Kikyou-onee-sama was in the area, was she?" Kaede questioned.

"Yes, but it wasn't like you think," Sango began. "When Inuyasha came back. He had told us that he smelled Kikyou. Not too long ago, Inuyasha had promised Kagome that now he knew Naraku was in persuit of her, since she's Kikyou's reincarnation, that he would protect her. Inuyasha doesn't want Kagome to die and he's also realized that he needed to let go of his...connection with Kikyou," the demon slayer explained.

"Yes, we were headed back to the village and decided to stop off for a bite to eat and something to drink. We knew tonight was the night of Inuyasha's transformation to human and so we wanted to have as much strength as possible in case anything were to persue us on our trip back here," Miroku stated.

There was a soft moan from the corner of the room where Inuyasha and Kagome lay side by side. Kagome had rolled over onto her side, undoubtedly trying to find a more comfortable position. The three adults inclined their heads to see that the wounded miko had rolled onto her side, laying on Inuyasha's outstretched arm. She snuggled her face into Inuyasha's black tresses, not knowing in the least of what she was doing. In his sleep Inuyasha rested his arm over the young woman's back and turned his head just a little closer toward hers, but the two were unware of what they were doing. It was a precious sight. They were completely asleep and breathing a lot easier now that they had their wounds treated and an antidote for the poison had been given.

"So, are you saying that Inuyasha's meeting with Kikyou-onee-sama was completely innocent?" Kaede questioned.

"Indeed we do believe it was," nodded Miroku."After the words Inuyasha had expressed to us, we believe that Inuyasha was letting go of his romantic bond with Lady Kikyou for Kagome-sama's sake, and we also think that Inuyasha has come to realize that his feelings for Kagome-sama run deeper than just a friendship."

"I see. Inuyasha has finally come to understand that my beloved sister is not of this world, that she is not the Kikyou she used to be. Therefore it would be difficult for him to continue anything with her. So then, what landed them in this position?" Kaede questioned, though she most likely knew the answer.

"Kagome-chan spotted Inuyasha with Kikyou," Sango began. "She's had her heart broken so many times by Inuyasha that of course she expected the worst. Kagome-chan probably figured that the things Inuyasha said to her was nothing but an empty promise, and that he would never be able to break his romantic bond with Kikyou."

"So Kagome acted out of heartache and she took off on her own," Miroku finished. "We tried to approach her, maybe even help her, but she would not allow us. The girl was in tears. I had never seen someone look so broken. After she had run off, Inuyasha came back in search of her. We made to confront him about his meeting with Lady Kikyou, but he explained what had happened. It all had been completely innocent. Inuyasha told us that he saw it as his opportunity to break the romantic connection with Kikyou. He told us that he promised Kagome-sama that he would protect her from Naraku and that he would not allow the girl to get into danger anymore. I saw the sincerity in Inuyasha's eyes. He was being truthful. He told us that he wasn't doing anything distrustful with Kikyou-sama and that he never planned to," the monk explained.

"The next thing we knew, Inuyasha was taking off after Kagome, and we decided to follow him and catch up with him as quickly as we could. We knew that the night was approaching and Inuyasha would be vulnerable to attack. When we finally reached the two it was too late. They had been nearly obliterated by the venomous youkai," the demon slayer continued as Kaede listened intently.

"Kagome-sama remained concious for a while, but she too had been hit with the scorpion's stinger. It took longer on her, but the poison eventually entered her body. Kagome-sama went unconcious from the poison and that's when Myouga appeared and was able to deplete the venom from their systems," the houshi told Kaede. "We're very lucky that they're still here with us now."

"Yes indeed we were. I'm glad ye were able to get them here before it was too late. This was especially dangerous for Inuyasha, considering he is human tonight," Kaede remarked. The old woman sat for a moment looking thoughtful before speaking up once more. "Sango, Miroku, why don't you two sleep in here tonight? There are a few villagers that I need to go and see about. Inuyasha and Kagome-sama have been given their antidote for the poison and their wounds have been treated properly. The two should rest easy through the night and will need atleast a few days to recover their strength. Kagome may need even more. I shall see to ye in the morning," the elderly miko told them as she stood up and bowed herself from the hut, leaving Sango and Miroku alone with the wounded couple.

Once the elderly woman was out of earshot, Miroku was the first to speak up as he watched the two snuggle without a care in the world. The two were lost in blissfull sleep, hopefully dreaming of being in one another's arms. "What do you think will become of them, Sango?" he asked softly, staring at his friends. The light from the fire that had been lit in the hut flickered off of their bodies, casting their pale forms in a warm, orange glow.

"If Kagome-chan listens to Inuyasha instead of running away from him, I would say they have a chance. Though I really don't blame Kagome-chan for feeling the way she did. Her heart had been wounded one too many times by Inuyasha meeting alone with Kikyou," the demon slayer acknowleged.

"Now that Inuyasha has promised himself to Kagome, I too feel that things will get better for them," Miroku agreed as he scooted closer to Sango. He placed an arm around the demon slayer's shoulders, causing a soft blush to spill over her cheeks. Sango waited, holding her breath for the monk to try and attempt anything lecherous but nothing came. She sighed softly when his voice sounded again. "Can you and I be so lucky?" the houshi spoke in tones that were barely audible.

"Houshi-sama...," Sango replied softly and snuggled into his hold, the two gazing down at their friends, hoping and praying that everything would be alright.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Kagome's Decision

The young woman awoke to the subtle sounds of the crickets chirping their early morning song just outside of the hut. Kagome grimaced as she felt the pain in her leg, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been. How long had they been here? It took the miko a moment to gather her barings when she realized she was snuggled into something warm and soft. She forced open her dark orbs and met the deep red hue that rested next to her. Pulling herself together and doing her best to awaken, the miko realized she had been pulled into Inuyasha's tender hold. She gazed up at his face, letting her eyes travel up to his hair and back down again. It was still black. _He's still in human form...Thank goodness he's still alive...I was so worried. I wonder if he's been sleeping okay?_

As she became somewhat aware, Kagome realized her clothing was not that of her school uniform like usual, it was heavier. She stared down at the red hakama around her waist, covering her legs and white kimono top she wore around her shoulders and bosom; the traditional priestess clothing. Somebody must have removed her dirty, torn, blood-ridden clothing and dressed her in this so she would be more comfortable. They must have wanted her to stay more warm sometime in the night. The miko closed her eyes trying to recall if anybody had done that for her. She remembered somebody had woken her up and Kagome could just vaguely recall what had happened.

_"Kagome, you're shivering to death. Why don't you let me put something on you that might be more warmer and comfortable?" Kaede suggested to the young miko. Kagome forced open her eyes and discovered that she was shivering something terrible. Goosebumps had covered her flesh and the poor miko felt as though she were freezing to death.. Even the fire wasn't warming her. Her school uniform had been shredded, torn in some places and just wasn't keeping her warm, despite the blanket that had been placed over her and Inuyasha._

_"T-that would be g-great, K-Kaede," Kagome replied through chattering teeth. Even talking was difficult. Why did she feel so sick?_

_"I believe you're running a fever from the poison," the elderly miko acknowleged. "As long as we can keep you warm and comfortable, you should be okay. I'm going to have you take a little more antidote," the elderly priestess explained as she gathered some clothing for Kagome._

_She knelt her body down next to Kagome's shivering one and gently lifted the girl up. Kaede helped the girl remove the school uniform, and the old miko dressed Kagome in the priestess outfit she had provided. Once the girl was dressed, Kaede laid her back down, covered her with a blanket and gave the sick priestess more antidote from the poison._

_"I believe that you're body is reacting to the poison because of you being a true human. Even though Inuyasha is a human right now, the demon blood still flows within his veins, so he's not reacting so bad anymore now that he's recieved the antidote," the old miko explained. "Now, I want you to get some more rest. Those clothes should help keep you warm."_

_"Thank you, Kaede," Kagome murmered as she felt the sleep beginning to take her again and once more curled into the bedding she and Inuyasha shared, drifting back off to sleep._

Kagome smiled gratefully. The old woman had always been so kind and gentle with her. She had been since the day Kagome had arrived in the Feudal Era. The priestess gazed up at the window and realized that the sun had not yet risen. The sky was still dark, but Kagome caught a faint orange hue just at the top of the hills. Dawn would be breaking soon, but only when the sun rose would Inuyasha be turned back into the hanyou that he always was. She let her eyes avert to his chest as she watched it slowly rise and fall with every soft breath he took, giving the indication that he was indeed asleep. Her eyes wandered down to where the wound in his stomach was and saw that his fire rat had been thoroughly cleaned and his wounds dressed.

The girl wanted more than anything to reach up and touch his face tenderly with her fingertips, and she had to fight back the urge. While Kagome watched him she wondered to herself if he realized that he was holding her? As she fully came to, she realized that his arm was resting around her body as well, and the miko felt her heart start to pound. _But...why is he holding me?_ She continued to watch him when panic struck Kagome's body. She wanted to dash out from his grasp and get away from him before he too awoke and realized that he had been holding her. The last thing Kagome wanted was for Inuyasha to get upset and angry at her or be embarrassed in front of their friends. Maybe he thought he was holding Kikyou and not her so that's why he was holding her? Or maybe he just didn't realize that he was even holding Kagome. Instead of leaping out and away from his hold, Kagome gently moved the sleeping hanyou's arm and slid out quietly from underneath.

She crawled backwards away, anxiously staring at him as though he'd wake up at any given moment, but the hanyou was snoring softly. She sat perched on her knees and brought her knuckles to her mouth. It was almost too painful to even look at him as the events from the previous afternoon struck her mind. Inuyasha had been knelt down in front of Kikyou. The two were so close that if he wanted, he could have reached over and kissed the undead miko if he wanted. With that very thought, Kagome felt the tears beginning to burn her eyes. _Maybe he did before I got there and that's why he was so close to her? This...this is too much. I've got to get out of here before I start crying..._

Kagome stood and realized how weak and shakey her legs felt. The priestess grabbed ahold of the wall composing herself, not wanting to awaken any of her sleeping companions around her, especially Inuyasha. Kagome's eyes scanned the room as she saw Shippou and Kirara curled up together, asleep in a small bedding in the corner of the hut. Sango and Miroku had fallen asleep sitting up side by side. The demon slayer's head rested on the monk's shoulder, and Miroku had taken the liberty to pull a blanket up around the two. They were both in deep sleep and Kagome smiled at her two friends. If only the houshi would behave himself like this all the time and not acted like a pervert, Sango might not always take the opportunity to bash him over the head with her Hiraikotsu.

The priestess had to stifle a small snigger at the thought of Sango's weapon giving the houshi a nice-sized lump, but then she remembered Inuyasha as she watched the two sleeping. The pain in her heart grew and it lurched into her throat, causing a lump the size of a golfball. She had to get out of there before she risked waking her friends. Kagome tiptoed around the slumbering pair and with one last gaze at Inuyasha's handsome human form, the young priestess slipped past the bamboo curtain and outside. She realized that her shoes and socks had been removed from as her bare feet met the grass, damp and cool from the early morning dew. Kagome walked through the grass a soft wind rustled through the trees, blowing her long, raven waves and the long sleeves of her white haori out from behind her. She gazed upward at the sky as she noticed it become a little lighter by the moment.

Going for a walk to clear her head would was the best thing for her, the miko figured. Kagome was beginning to feel smothered by her emotions being in the hut with Inuyasha, and what hurt even more was the fact that he had been holding her so close and so gently. Even with her wearing this clothing she felt it only made matters worse. Inuyasha had probably thought she was Kikyou. She had a striking resemblence to the undead priestess and it was even more striking when Kagome wore their formal clothing that marked the sign of a priestess. The girl sighed as she gazed up and saw the scared Goshinboku tree that Inuyasha had been pinned to. This was the place where the two first met and their destinies had changed forever. Kagome approached the old wood and placed a hand over the bare patch where Inuyasha's body had once rested against. She ran her fingertips gently down the wood and sighed.

_Sometimes I just...I just wish we'd never have met. If I had known it was going to hurt this much...if I had known that I was going to fall in love with you, I never would have stayed._ Kagome released her hand from the tree, swallowing hard to fight back the tears creeping up on the corners of her eyes again. She couldn't keep doing this to herself. The pain was almost too much to endure. As the priestess turned, the wind blew her hair gently across her face, loosening soft strands to rest against her cheeks.

The little miko stared at the wooden opening that protruded from the ground just ahead of her as she walked, it's oak appendages surrounded by green, leafy vines creeping up the sides...the Bone Eater's Well. This was Kagome's link between this world and her own, modern day Japan. The miko crossed the grass which had now soaked the bottom of her pant legs from the dewdrops, but Kagome didn't care. She seated herself on the edge of the well and stared up at the sky.

_I know if I go home, Inuyasha will probably come after me and wonder why I left? Right now would be the perfect time to leave...He's sleeping and I know he's going to survive. If he wasn't, he would have died during the night, and plus it's almost daybreak. He'll be strong again soon. I just don't know how much more my heart can take. One minute he tells me one thing and then the next he's with Kikyou...if he does come after me, I'll have to tell him I can't do it anymore...I'll have to tell him that it's hurting too much. Inuyasha, why did you promise you would protect me that night if you didn't really mean it?_ The miko could clearly remember what had happened the night Inuyasha had told her this.

_Kagome had been sitting next to the river alone, gazing at the ripples while the moon and the stars reflected off of it. She was out here all alone. Just earlier had the group been engaged in a fierce battle. Kagome nearly had her jewel shards stolen, but only then when she made to reach back to her quiver and draw an arrow, the priestess realized that she was completely out of arrows. It was useless now. Inuyasha was fighting another youkai and Kagome was rendered completely helpless. Just in the nick of time she had been saved, but it wasn't by Inuyasha, it was by Miroku and Sango who had been Kirara's back. After the battle ended, Inuyasha moped around with a grumpy expression and wouldn't talk. The priestess then decided that she was most likely too much of a burden for him to continue to go on protecting and she knew why._

_Only a few days previous had they had another encounter with Kikyou. She had came to give them more needed information about Naraku. During Kikyou's visit clear up until her departure, Kagome had been able to see them, standing next to one another and talking. Yet it still tore the little miko's heart apart to see them next to one another. The priestess sighed and rested her chin on her hand, wondering what she ever did to deserve the pain she felt? Why couldn't she just summon up the courage and tell Inuyasha how hard this was for her? Obviously it was because of her pride. Kagome wasn't about to let him exactly how much it tore the girl to shreds whenever he and Kikyou were together. There was a slight rustle in the bushes from behind her, breaking the miko from her thoughts. Kagome gasped softly as she looked behind her to see a red-clad hanyou coming towards her._

_"What are you doing out here by yourself?" begin Inuyasha in an accusatory voice. "Don't you realize that you could get hurt or something like that being all alone at night? Shouldn't you be sleeping anyway?"_

_"I'm sorry, Inuyasha...I couldn't sleep," Kagome apologized. "I guess I just needed some time alone."_

_"Keh, why would you need time alone?" He questioned her, walking across the grass and sitting next to her. The hanyou folded his arms inside of his sleeves and tilted his head slightly looking at Kagome. "I thought you didn't like being alone?"_

_"I guess I just needed to do some thinking," the miko admitted, turning her head from the hanyou, a soft blush creeping up on her cheeks. "You know...about...umm, school stuff."_

_"Hmmm, I don't think that's it," Inuyasha acknowleged. "What's going on with you, Kagome?"_

_"It's nothing, alright?" Kagome told him a little more firmly. "It's already hard enough to deal with, and I don't want to talk about it, okay?"_

_Inuyasha stared at the girl slightly stung. She didn't want to talk to him about it? But normally Kagome always came to him if she were angry or frustrated and needed to vent, especially about Naraku. He usually always had some words of encouragement for the miko, even if they carried an insult or two, but Kagome had been used to that. So, what was so different now that she couldn't even tell him?_

_"What has gotten into you!" Inuyasha snapped as Kagome rose from where she was sitting and walked away from the hanyou._

_"I told you I don't want to talk about it, okay!" Kagome shot back, glaring daggers at him. She had her hands balled into small fists at her sides._

_The half-demon found himself nearly cowering from Kagome's icey stare. He knew that look...it usually ended in her sitting him and that's the last thing he wanted. 'Okay, I don't need to be so rash, I'll just talk to her like normal...I really don't wanna be sat again.' Inuyasha lept up from his spot on the ground and hurried up behind Kagome. The half-demon scooped a rather surprised miko in his arms and lept up into the nearest tree branch. Inuyasha sat her down gently on the branch, and sat himself next to her, turning himself towards her so he could face the miko._

_"There, now you can't get away from me," Inuyasha told her arrogantly, a satisfied grin on his face. "So, just tell me what's going on with you already."_

_"It's just...Inuyasha, you didn't even speak to me after we fought those demons earlier," Kagome admitted, sighing in defeat. "I figured that...you always coming to rescue me from tight spots I get myself into was becoming bothersome. I guess it'd be much easier if it were Kikyou. She's a lot stronger than me anyway and-," but Kagome's words were cut off with a harsh "shhh" from Inuyasha._

_The hanyou grasped the girl on her shoulders and turned her body to face him. "Would you stop speaking such nonsense!" he told her angrily. "How could you think for even one minute that I would get sick of rescuing you. I'm there ALWAYS, Kagome, to keep you safe from getting hurt."_

_"Sango and Miroku where the ones who saved me earlier," the miko replied in a voice barely audible, but Inuyasha's keen sense of hearing picked up her words quickly._

_"Keh, don't remind me...," he spouted off in a pouty voice, folding his arms once more in his haori sleeves._

_"What...what do you mean don't remind you? You'd prefer that wouldn't you, so I don't get in your way?" Kagome questioned, certain she was right._

_"Keh! Are you kidding me Kagome. It irritates the hell out of me whenever Miroku or Sango or even Kirara saves you from danger. That's supposed to be MY job!" Inuyasha replied, his voice raising._

_"Inuyasha?" Kagome stated incredulously, turning back to gaze at the hanyou's angry face. His golden eyes were staring down at her. He was really being truthful._

_"What!" he snapped, still continuing to stare at her._

_"You really mean that? I mean about saving me from danger?" the miko asked softly, trying not to smile. The last thing Kagome wanted to do was frustrate him even more._

_"Keh, 'course I do," Inuyasha replied, a blush rising on his cheeks that Kagome couldn't see in the dark, but she had a feeling he was blushing judging by the hanyou's expression._

_"I...I'm sorry," the miko stated, embarrassed by what she'd previously thought. "I just...figured that-," but she was cut off again by Inuyasha grasping the girl and taking her in his arms. He held one arm around her waist and the hanyou rested his clawed hand on the back of her head, bringing Kagome's cheek to lay against his shoulder. Kagome just widened her eyes in shock, not expecting him to hold her like that._

_"Dammit! Would you stop talking like that!" Inuyasha remarked, cutting her off. "Listen, I'm not ever going to let anything happen to you. I will never let you fall into dangerous hands. I will never let Naraku get you or your jewel shards. Kagome, I bwill/b protect you. I bwill/b keep you safe. I promise you," Inuyasha told her, his voice softening with every word he spoke._

_Kagome now felt tears building in her eyes as she buried her face into his shoulder to hide them. "I just...figured you didn't want me around anymore. I just thought maybe I was getting to be in the way of the constant battles, always getting myself in sticky situations..."_

_"No, Kagome. You don't get in my way. You're the one who makes me stronger when we fight. Your scent, your presence puts me at ease, you know this. I am much more powerful in battle when you're there with me. I need you with me. I need you to stay by my side, Kagome," the Inu-hanyou finally admitted to her. "Don't you understand that at all?"_

_Kagome finally released her tears and she further buried her face into Inuyasha's shoulder. The miko felt his hold tighten on her as the hanyou tried his best to comfort her. "Thank you, Inuyasha," was all the priestess could manage to say._

Kagome turned and stared down into the well, pondering on what she should do. That night Inuyasha had promised he would always be there with her played over and over again in her mind, but then a vision of Kikyou appeared, always seeming to break and get in the way what the two would start. Kagome clutched onto the corner of the well with one hand and brought another to her chest, clutching it into a shaking fist. How much longer would the miko have to endure this pain? If she just left right now, told Inuyasha she didn't want to see him anymore if he came after her, then maybe, just maybe she would have a chance to forget about him and move on with her life...

The priestess was half over the well when she stopped and turned back. _I...don't know if I should go back...I don't want to but at the same time I do...I feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions. I feel like I'm being ripped apart! Inuyasha why!_ Kagome let her head fall as the unbidden tears brimmed her eyes now and she could no longer control them. The miko sobbed soundly into her hands as she sat on the edge of the well, not knowing whether she should leave or stay. Kagome was indecisive on what to do and so she just sat there and cried, turning the thoughts over in her head. Would she continue to stay and watch Inuyasha make empty promises to her while rushing off to see Kikyou whenever she was near or would she go back home to modern day Japan and never see Inuyasha again?

Meanwhile, back inside of the hut, the hanyou was still in his human form as he stirred awake. The pain that had filled his body from earlier had left him and he forced himself to sit up, grimacing from the soreness from the wound in his stomach. Inuyasha clenched his teeth together and held his injury with his hand, gazing downward up to see where he was. I'm...back at the village? I'm still alive? But...how? Inuyasha stared around the room and his dark gray-blue eyes fell on the rest of his comrades resting, but something was terribly wrong.

Kagome was not there. _Kagome? Where in the hell is she!_ With a soft grunt, Inuyasha pushed himself to stand up and he walked across the hut, doing his best not to awaken the others. _Damn her...she had better not gone back home and just left me here!_ Long, black locks fell down the hanyou's shoulders as stepped outside. Gazing at the sky, Inuyasha knew that daybreak was well under way and he'd be back to his normal form once more. The hanyou turned human figured it would be okay to go out and see if Kagome were anywhere near him. He could already start to feel his senses slowly returning, so maybe with any luck he'd be able to smell Kagome nearby. He already picked up the scent of fresh morning dew and the smell of the trees as the wind wound softly through their leaves.

Inuyasha walked slowly, still holding his sore stomach. _Man I must have been really hurt during that battle...I can hardly remember a thing, except...KAGOME!!! Oh no! Kagome had gotten hurt! Oh Kami please say she didn't...say she's not..._ the hanyou didn't care as he lifted his feet and began picking up speed. He was going to find out if Kagome had gone back home or not. If she wasn't there then he'd wake up Sango, Miroku and the others and find out just what the hell happened to Kagome and where she was. _Dammit! I hope she didn't get kidnapped...or worse...!_

"Uuugh," Inuyasha grunted from the pain in his stomach where the scorpion youkai had pierced him. "Damn that's right...that bastard impaled me with his stinger...I was poisoned, but Kagome had been injured by that demon too...Kami, I hope she's alright."

Inuyasha stopped, turning his black head up towards the sky. His ears picked up a sound, a very familiar sound. _That's Kagome! It has to be!_ Inuyasha hurried past the Goshinboku tree and up the grassy hill to the Bone Eater's Well. He stopped as the sight that fell before his eyes slammed him like a ton of bricks. It was Kagome, wearing priestess clothing and she had her face buried in her hands, sobbing her heart out. What on earth could have happened to her to make her look so broken? Inuyasha had seen Kagome cry plenty of times, but never like this and with his human emotions intact, it was tearing him apart to see her this way. Inuyasha gazed at the girl before he made his advance. _Kagome..._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- A Miko's Voice and a Hanyou's Tears

"Kagome?" the raven-haired man spoke her name softly as he ascended up to the well towards where she was sitting. Her long black hair was blowing across her face in the gentle breeze, along with the long white sleeves of her haori and the small, black tie that hung around her neck. _Kami, she really is beautiful...even in those clothing, I never thought it possible but...she's even more beautiful than Kikyou..._

A look of a slight sorrow replaced the expression of shock on his handsome features as Inuyasha approached the weeping miko. Kagome gasped lifting her tear-streaked face from her hands as she gazed up into his dark, grey-blue eyes. Inuyasha was standing just a few feet away from her, gazing at her. As he watched her, she noticed his eyes...they looked so tender, like the time she had seen him look at her when she caught him with Kikyou. That had been the day Kagome realized she was truly in love with Inuyasha.

The hanyou lifted a foot, attempting to step closer, but Kagome just let out a strangeled sob and turned her back towards him. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in confusion, not quite understanding what had just happened. Why was she turning away from him? Was she in shock that he was still alive? Maybe she didn't believe it, or did she still not understand what his purpose to see Kikyou had been? The hanyou hoped against hope that she would understand about why he'd gone to see Kikyou. It's not like he had been off searching for her. When Inuyasha had picked up her scent, he felt that this was the perfect opportunity to tell Kikyou what he needed to do.

"Kagome? What are you doing all by yourself out here? You're injured too, and you should be resting," came the hanyou's voice from somewhere behind the miko. "Let's go back to Kaede's hut so you can get some more rest. This can't be good for you," Inuyasha suggested. She tried to quiet her sobbing and turned her head away from him, not wanting to him to see her tears. She didn't want an angry Inuyasha baring down on her for crying.

"I-it's nothing," Kagome tried to remain calm and wiping at her tears. The young miko was doing her best not to allow her voice to shake or jar with emotion too much. She knew that Inuyasha hated it whenever she expressed any kind of feelings such as sadness, so she figured it best to try and compose herself before he really got upset.

"I...I just needed to go for a walk is all," the girl began to babble, trying her best to keep her feelings held back. "It felt too cramped up inside of the hut, and I thought it might be a good idea to stretch my legs, especially my injured one. We don't want the muscles in my leg going weak from a simple injury now do we?" the miko stated, but still kept her back turned to Inuyasha. Kagome didn't know why, but she was finding it very difficult to face him. Maybe it was because of all this Kikyou nonsense that the girl was struggling like this?

"Well, I still think you shouldn't be up and about like this," the hanyou replied, walking closer to Kagome until he was standing next to her. He gazed down at her to try and catch a glimpse of her face, but the miko only turned away.

_What is wrong with me? Why can't I face him? I had it in my head earlier that I was going to tell Inuyasha that I can't be with him anymore. Here he is now and here's my perfect opportunity but something is holding me back. Why can't I tell him? Is it too hard to say goodbye and never look back? Can I really just go on and live my life without him?_ At this very thought, Kagome only felt the intensity of the pain she had in her heart rise. It felt as though it were wrapping it's invisible hand around it and clenching it until the priestess could hardly bare it. Kagome bit her bottom lip and continued to fight against her emotions, closing her small hands into tight fists against the well and trembling all the while.

"I'm fine...I'll be fine," Kagome told him through clenched teeth.

Now Inuyasha was extremely confused. Why was Kagome denying him the way she was? He could feel that the girl was stiffening, not wanting to be near him, but the hanyou as stubborn as he was, wasn't about to give up that easily. He placed his hand on her arm and felt Kagome recoil from his touch.

"Kagome, please listen to me," Inuyasha began but was cut off as Kagome lept up from her spot on the well.

"NO! That's just it! I can't do this!" she exclaimed, whirling around and facing him now. Her eyes blazed furiously as the light became brighter in the sky.

The moment the sun's rays hit Inuyasha, he would be transformed back, but he was still a human and now those human emotions were beginning to fill his insides with a burning sensation. This was unpleasent to the hanyou and he kept watching the sky, waiting for the first ray of light to hit him so he could be rid of this pathetic feeling. In the meantime, he'd just have to take control of himself and be strong. Inuyasha always felt inadequate when he was in human form, so maybe once he was back to his original, half-demon self he'd feel better about talking to Kagome and getting things figured out. However he questioned the priestess's actions. Why was Kagome being like this to him? What did she mean by she couldn't do this? What could he, Inuyasha, have possibly done to make her talk to him like this? The hanyou turned human drew back from the fierce look in the girl's eyes, slightly frightened and a little hurt that she would be so harsh.

"You can't do what, Kagome?! I don't understand a damn word you're saying!" Inuyasha snapped back, trying to sound bold.

However frustrated he may be, his voice wasn't filled with the normal, harsh tones used whenever he became flummoxed. No, not this time. His voice was filled with the essence of confusion and hurt, and much to Inuyasha's dismay he felt disheartened. The hanyou was still in human form, still being cursed by his human transformation and what was worse, human emotions. Inuyasha was apperceptive to hurt and of course bewildered by the look Kagome gave him. The harsh tones she used with him wasn't even the way she acted. I mean sure, there had been plenty of times where the two fought, argued and jumped down each other's throats, but this was different. This wasn't his normal miko at all. Was she possessed by something?

"I mean I can't do_ this_ anymore, Inuyasha! It's just too much!" Kagome stepped backward from him before she turned and begin to run back towards Kaede's hut. When she got there, she'd gather her things, say her goodbyes to Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara and Kaede. She'd give the jewel shards to Sango to protect and tell her to give them to Inuyasha for her. Kagome couldn't take the pain anymore. The images kept replaying over and over again in her mind as she fought on the forcing onslaught of the horrible memories of Kikyou overwhelming her mind.

_"This will end your interfering," Kikyou stated softly, removing her fingers from Kagome's flesh. Kagome's entire body had been endoused with a soft and yet bright, glow, but the girl still could not move._

_Once Kikyou released her reincarnation, the soul collectors swarmed around Kagome and pinned her glowing body to the tree Kikyou had previously been resting in as she gathered the souls of the dead to animate her clay body. 'I can't move!' Kagome panicked to herself inside of her head. The little miko couldn't even bring herself to speak as the shinidamachuu pressed and wound themselves around the tree, forcing her tighter to it's trunk. Kagome watched as a single soul collector flowed through the air and lowered itself next to the undead miko, dropping a glowing orb into the woman's hands._

_"Inuyasha has come," Kikyou stated with a small, wicked smile on her pale face. The glowing orb disappeared into the woman's body. She released the barrier that was held up and tilted her head, continuing to stare coldly into Kagome. It almost felt as if the woman's gaze was freezing her to the very core. "I fear he has not come to save you. His purpose lies in seeing me," Kikyou told her as her facial expression changed into an almost annoyed one. "You will not interfere."_

_The two were about to continue speaking when they sensed Inuyasha's presence. The red-clan hanyou appeared before the two and Kagome tried in vain to make Inuyasha talk to Kikyou. Inuyasha walked right past her as if he didn't even hear nor see her and approached the undead miko. Kagome listened as he spoke Kikyou's name softly, and then she realized that Kikyou had rendered her not only paralyzed but invisible as well. Inuyasha couldn't see nor hear Kagome, and his eyes were all for Kikyou now. What would she do? She had to make Inuyasha realize that Kikyou was most likely about to put him in danger from the hatred of him that filled the very depths of her clay and bones._

_It was then that Inuyasha realized that it was Kikyou who had been taking the souls of the dead women. The priestess went on explaining that her body was made of the bones and soil from her gravesite. She told him that in order to remain on the earth, she must devour the souls of the dead to keep her existing...that and her hatred for him is what fueled her actions. Kagome acknowledged that the words stung Inuyasha._

_"That's just ludicrous!" the hanyou exclaimed, staring at the woman. "You may very well despise me, but the feeling's not mutual! Kikyou...I NEVER STOP THINKING ABOUT YOU! NOT EVEN FOR AN INSTANT!" Inuyasha admitted. The words echoed over and over again in Kagome's mind. It felt like her heart was breaking._

_"Hmm," Kikyou stared back at him, only this time a look of sorrow crossed her face and Kagome felt her heart lurch painfully. 'I thought so...Inuyasha has never forgotten about Kikyou. Sure, why would he have? Still, it's hard to hear it said outloud...Inuyasha's been...taken away from me!'_

_"I could never hate you or think less of you! It's your spirit I care for, not your appearance!" Inuyasha continued as Kikyou turned away from him, gazing down at the ground._

_"Truly Inuyasha, you wouldn't?" Kikyou questioned him and she now turned back towards the hanyou, approaching him with an outstretched hand. She reached up and tenderly rubbed his face. "You wouldn't despise me if I used these hands to steal the life from you?"_

_Inuyasha stared at her in shock and seemed as though he were trying to speak. Kagome could tell that he was surprised by her words and was rather hesitant about having his life taken. Before giving the hanyou even one chance to reply, Kikyou leaned up and gently touched her lips to his. Inuyasha just continued to stare in shock as the undead woman's cold lips kissed his. 'She's kissing him!' Kagome thought to herself and she watched the priestess release her lips from him, placing him under her spell. Kikyou threw her arms around the hanyou's waist, resting her head against his chest._

_"Inuyasha! After meeting with you I renounce my position as a shrine priestess! I became an ordinary woman. I longed to embrace you like this when I was alive." Kagome's heart lurched again as she watched the hanyou place his arms around Kikyou as well, holding her close to him._

_"Inuyasha, you're going to take her back...sure you are. It's only to be expected," Kagome spoke outloud, though nobody but Kikyou could hear her. "What am I doing here watching them like this? I'm such a fool! Oh great, now I'm probably gonna start crying. I can't believe what an idiot I am," Kagome told herself, her voice brimming with tears._

_"We are unable to turn back the hands of time, so please, allow me to embrace you a little longer," Kikyou told him, doing her best to trick the hanyou into a trap Kagome felt was about to happen._

_"I can't save you. I can't do anything to help you except stay like this," Inuyasha replied softly. "If only time could stand still."_

_"Would you agree to that? If I did stop time?" Kikyou asked, contiuing to hold the hanyou. The priestess squeezed him tighter, pulling the conciousness from him._

_"Yes...I don't care. As long as...as long as I'm...with you," Inuyasha replied before he was rendered unconcious in the undead woman's arms._

_"Ugh! I can't watch! I'd be happy to leave you two alone if you'd just release me!" Kagome called out, trying to get them to hear her. "I'll just go crawl under a rock or something..." she told herself more than anything, feeling hurt and upset by the hanyou's actions right in front of her. "Hey! Are you listen-," Kagome cut off her own words by a gasp as the light around Kikyou and Inuyasha began turning into black streaks and the ground underneath them began to cave. White, glowing orbs flowed all around the two as their bodies slowly began lowering themselves into the massive hole growing in the forest floor._

_"Inuyasha! I will never let you go. Come with me, into the depths of Hell!" Kikyou told him as she began pulling him under with her._

_"He's being dragged down with her!" Kagome exclaimed, realizing the hanyou was in danger. "Inuyasha snap to it! You've got to get out of there!" the little miko tried desperately, but it was all in vain. "It's no use, he's unconcious!"_

_Kagome felt a new energy fill her body and she stared angrily at the dead woman dragging the defenseless hanyou downward into Hell with her. "Listen Kikyou, 'cause I know that you can hear me! Inuyasha said he wanted to be with you! I didn't hear him say he wanted to go to Hell with you! Inuyasha is going after Naraku for decieving you both 50 years ago! He still has things to do! Inuyasha wants to live to fight Naraku more than anything! And he's determined to stay alive until he avenges your death!"_

_Kikyou released Inuyasha for a moment to turn and gaze coldy at the younger miko. She pointed one finger at the girl, a small glowing orb appearing at the end of it. She raised her hand and released the orb, sending it zooming towards Kagome. It hit the girl who cried out and winced from the blast. Kagome just couldn't bring herself to believe that somebody could be so angry. Kikyou glared at the alive priestess and questioned that if Inuyasha got his revenge, would that revive her, but sadly no, it would not._

_"Come, Inuyasha. Come rather than staying here and living with my memory," Kikyou said softly as he began to pull Inuyasha back down again. "You and I share the same desires."_

_"You're downright evil! The poor guy's unconcious remember! Otherwise he'd never follow you! I'm telling you...HANDS OFF OF HIM!" Kagome exploded at the undead miko. It had infuriated her that Kikyou tricked him. Kagome was shocked at the own power that filled her veins and the light that endoused Kikyou was shockingly bright. The orbs began leaving the woman and she stared at Kagome in shock. The young miko continued to cry out to the helpless half-demon. "WAKE UP! DON'T LET HER TAKE YOU! INUYASHA! INUYASHAAAAA!!" Kagome cried out in desperation._

_The little priestess continued to watch as Inuyasha finally came to, opening his golden eyes slowly. "That's...Kagome's voice. Is she here? Kagome? KAGOME!" the hanyou exclaimed, finally coming back to conciousness by the sounds of Kagome's voice. He lept out of Kikyou's arms as his vision fell on the trapped miko and ran towards her. He used his iron claws to split apart the shinidamachuu and free Kagome. He stared at her in shock._

_"Kagome, what in the world do you think you're doing here!" Inuyasha questioned her._

_"Me!? I'm the one who should be asking that question!" Kagome shot back and Inuyasha leaned back from her._

_"Well...uhh...it's, hard to explain," the hanyou stammered nervously, knowing that Kagome was hurt and angry._

_The light around Kikyou disappeared as the souls fell back into her body, one by one and she was lifted in the air by the shinidamachuu. "Does that girl mean more to you than I do?" Kikyou questioned him._

_Inuyasha and Kagome both blushed, for he could not give her an answer. Kagome wasn't sure if he just couldn't find the courage to say that in front of Kagome or if he didn't know the answer. Either way, she felt like her heart had been stomped all over after witnessing what she did. The two watched as Kikyou was once more lifted up by her soul gatherers. "Inuyasha, never forget the feel of my lips against yours, for it was real," Kikyou told him before she vanished into thin air._

_Kagome had taken it upon herself to go and find Kikyou, in hopes it would make Inuyasha feel better, considering she had been captured by Naraku. She peered around from a tree as she saw the undead miko standing just before her._

_"Kikyou," Kagome said in a relieved voice walking forward. Kikyou lowered herself to the ground, picking up her bow and an arrow from the quiver which lay on the ground. "Kikyou! You're okay!"_

_The woman lifted her bow silently, placing an arrow on it and drew it back, staring that familiar cold, black stare down at young miko advancing towards her._

_"We've been, so worried about you," Kagome stated uncertainly as she watched the woman drawing an arrow. What on earth was she doing?_

_Kikyou released the arrow, firing it directly at Kagome. It zoomed so fast that miko didn't even have time to move. Her eyes widened and she gasped as the barely missed her face. Instead, the arrow sliced her cheek open. It landed just on the ground behind her, creating a massive hole. Before Kagome even had time to move, the ground dissapated from underneath her, and she began falling down into the blackness of the hole. Kagome reached her hand out and grasped a long tree branch that had been hanging from the hole, hoping against hope that her strength would hold out until Inuyasha got there. The malevolent priestess approached the hole, glaring down at Kagome, who could only just utter her name in shock._

_"Naraku finds himself frightened of you. He tries to control me with a shard of the sacred jewel, hoping that I might be turned against you," Kikyou told her lazily._

_The shinidamachuu gathered themselves around Kagome's body and lifted the girl up and out of the hole, bringing her face to face with the undead woman. "The jewel shard in your chest-" Kagome began but was cut off by Kikyou once more._

_"Surely the priestess who wants to guard over the sacred jewel of four souls has not fallen so low as to be controlled by a mere shard," she replied, staring coldly. Kikyou reached a hand out and grasped the necklace around Kagome's neck that held what pieces they had acquired of the Shikon jewel and ripped it from her. Once she did so, the soul collectors released Kagome from their hold as the vines of the tree branches shot upward, winding themselves and grasping onto the helpless Miko, pulling her back into the hole._

_"KAGOME!" cried out Inuyasha's voice as he lept down to where Kagome lay. She was laying on the roots that created the dangerous illusion, dreaming of a nightmare. Kagome stirred as she heard the hanyou calling her name and he jumped down to where she was._

_"Inu...yasha?" Kagome spoke softly, uncertain if she were still in a dream or not. She had been dreaming of Inuyasha and Kikyou being in love with each other and she, Kagome, had been left all alone._

_The hanyou moved around to the ground of her, helping her up off of the ground. "Kagome...those roots cause some kind of an illusion," he explained to the girl who was gazing down at the ground. "Seems like you got away from it okay," Inuyasha added in a relieved voice._

_"Uh...uh huh," Kagome lied. She didn't want to tell Inuyasha what had happened. She didn't want to tell him what Kikyou did to her. The hanyou placed an arm around her waist and took a massive leap, bringing her out of the hole. They landed safely on the ground just in front of it. Kagome stared upward as fear filled her entire body. Kikyou was standing before them, looking malicious._

_"Kikyou! Those are Kagome's jewel shards!" Inuyasha yelled incredulously at the dead priestess, not daring to believe what he was seeing. The hanyou inclined his head to stare at Kagome who was still on her knees on the ground. The girl had a look of complete horror on her face and her arm rested over her stomach as she began breathing heavily. "Kagome?" Inuyasha asked her in a worried voice. He turned and stared back at Kikyou. "You didn't...DON'T TELL ME IT WAS YOU!"_

_"What's wrong Inuyasha?" questioned Kikyou as she clutched Kagome's necklace in her hand, the light from the jewel was glowing a soft purple. "Tell me, why is it I feel you're unhappy to know I'm well?"_

_Inuyasha bared his teeth at the undead priestess. "ANSWER ME! JUST WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!"_

_"I tried to kill her," Kikyou replied truthfully. "Just what is it you plan to do it about it? Will you kill me?"_

_The hanyou continued baring his teeth at Kikyou, growling furiously as he did so. Kikyou ignored his anger and continued on. Kagome had to admit she was grateful Inuyasha was by her side. Atleast she didn't have to face Kikyou alone again._

_"Tell me, when Naraku had you under his spell, just what was it you thought about?" she questioned him, but Kikyou already knew the answer. Inuyasha had been thinking about her, back 50 years ago when they were decieved by Naraku. The woman began to snicker and then burst out into malicious laughter. "Now, could you have said that if you were going to kill me?" The shinidamachuu gathered around Kikyou and lifted the woman into the air. She gazed back down at Inuyasha. "Embracing death together, now that's a day I'll wait for," Kikyou added before she disappeared with the soul collectors._

_Both Kagome and Inuyasha watched the woman disperse before the hanyou turned and gazed at the frightened miko, still on the ground. "Kagome...tell me what she did to you," Inuyasha demanded._

_"She took the sacred jewel back from me," Kagome answered, not wanting to give him the answer he wanted. "I'm sorry."_

_"That's not what I'm asking! Did Kikyou really try to-," Inuyasha began forcefully but he was cut off by Kagome's voice which sounded as though she were on the verge of tears._

_"THEN DON'T ASK ME!" she cried out, balling her hands into small fists._

_"Huh?" Inuyasha stared down at her, not wanting to believe that Kikyou really tried to kill Kagome, but it was true. "Kagome..._"

"Kagome come back here! I don't understand what you can't do anymore!" Inuyasha pleaded chasing after the girl, his long black hair flowing out from behind him. "Please, stop running! You're going to hurt yourself even more!"

Kagome could already feel her leg starting to give out. She was coming closer to the Goshinboku tree. The hut wasn't too far off now, but would she make it before her leg did give out? The memories of when Kikyou tried to take Inuyasha away from her into Hell, burned into her skull. The memory of the time Kikyou tried to kill her made her heart race in fear all over again, and the time Inuyasha swore to Kikyou he'd always protect her made the tears burn once more in the miko's eyes. It was all too much now. Kagome couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't go through another bout of this pain again. As she reached the tree, her leg gave out.

Kagome began to fall. She was just about to grasp onto the tree when she felt Inuyasha's strong hands catch her before she fell. She gasped and struggled away from his hold. The young priestess broke free and fell to her knees on the ground. The hanyou made to lower himself to the ground and help her up, when Kagome recoiled fiercely.

"DON'T!" The priestess cried out, allowing her long, dark waves of hair to curtain her face. "Don't touch me, Inuyasha!"

"What!? Kagome...what the HELL did I do to you?! Why won't you let me help you!?" the half-demon asked her in a confused voice.

"It's everything Inuyasha! It's always one empty promise right after another! You told me the other night that you swore to protect me! What happened after that? I find you with her again," the miko exploded, fresh tears burning her eyes again.

"What? Kagome! That is what this is all about? This is about Kikyou?! Is that it! You need to listen to me Kagome, it's important that I-," the hanyou made to explain, but Kagome had already got to her feet and was facing him, her face burning with sheer anger and heartache.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT ANYMORE INUYASHA! I KNOW WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!" Kagome screamed in frustration and anguish. It was almost becoming too much to endure. "I can't do it! I know what you're going to tell me! I know that you still want to be with Kikyou! I'm not stupid! I kept asking myself over and over again if you were really going to stay with me, but every single time you said you would, you still went off with her! My heart can't take this anymore, Inuyasha! It's tearing me apart!"

The miko placed her hand on the tree to keep herself standing, drawing heaving breaths, and trying to calm herself down, but she couldn't stop. Even when she saw the look on Inuyasha's face, she couldn't stop. He had drawn back from her somewhat, but stared at her with an overwraught expression. The half-demon had his eyebrows drawn in confusion. Kagome couldn't handle it anymore. She let her anger and pain get the better of her and before she knew it, the miko was exploding words that she didn't mean.

"I HATE YOU INUYASHA! I HATE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME! I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU! I'VE RISKED MY LIFE JUST TO SAVE AND PROTECT KIKYOU FOR YOUR SAKE, EVEN WHEN SHE TRIED TO KILL ME! I'VE DONE IT ALL AND I JUST CANNOT DO IT ANYMORE!" Kagome reached her hand up to the necklace around her neck that held the jewel shards. "I'm leaving, Inuyasha. I'm going back home. I'm making my last trip through the well, for good. I can't take your games with Kikyou anymore! My heart can't handle seeing you by her side anymore! Not after what you promised to me!"

Kagome thrust the jewel shards out towards Inuyasha, who had now turned his back to her. The miko had been so caught up in her anger that she never once realized he had turned from her. She watched his fists clenching at his sides, his body trembling before her. Without warning, the hanyou whirled around towards her to face her. He grabbed her shoulders roughly and pinned her up against the bare bark of Goshinboku tree. The rays of the sun's first light broke through the sky and landed on the hanyou. Inuyasha began to change before her, his long black hair reverting to it's normal silvery white color once more. His perfect, fuzzy, white triangular ears appeared on top of his head and as he opened his eyes, they had changed into the normal golden color they always were, but they were glistening. Inuyasha's teeth were clenched together, baring his small, white fangs on either sides of his mouth.

"So, you...want to leave me?" Inuyasha questioned Kagome calmly. "You don't want to be with me anymore? You hate me so much because of Kikyou, that you would leave the jewel shards with me and disappear beyond the well, never to return here?" the hanyou continued, his voice trembling. Kagome gazed up into his face and gasped as his eyes brimmed with crystalline tears.

"I-Inuyasha, I don't...I don't understand...what are you saying?" Kagome asked him in a small voice. She was still pinned up against the tree by him and it didn't seem she'd get to move anytime soon.

Inuyasha continued to hold onto Kagome's shoulders, staring down angrily into the girl. He couldn't fight the tears that had built in his eyes now and he further cursed himself for allowing his human emotions to linger in his heart, even after changing back to his half-demon self. It was so damn hard being a human, so why did the feelings have to stay? Was it Kagome's words that tore into his soul and made him feel this way? It had to of been, so maybe it wasn't the human emotions?

"BAKA!" the hanyou yelled down into the young miko's face, his voice jerking. "How can you even THINK that for one minute that I'd just let you go and never look back! How could you even think that I'd let you walk out of my life forever! I need you to be with me Kagome! I can't function when you're not by my side!"

Kagome had tears streaming down her cheeks now as she gazed upward in shock at his rare, tear-filled eyes. Did he really mean what he said? Was it all true? Was he serious about wanting her to be with him? Did he really mean it when he said he needed her? _It has to be true, he's crying! Inuyasha never cries. I must have...I must really hurt him._

Inuyasha released Kagome's arms in frustration and turned away from her, seating himself on the ground and folding his arms into the sleeves of his fire rat, keeping his back towards the young woman. Kagome stood shocked for only a moment longer before lowering herself behind Inuyasha. She put her hands on his shoulders, trying to let him know she understood. Kagome had been a fool. She never should have said the things she did. How was she going to let him know that she didn't hate him?

"Inuyasha," Kagome began softly.

"Keh!" he snapped, not looking at her. His voice was still trembling as was his body.

"Inuyasha please," the miko pleaded. "I'm so so sorry," Kagome whispered. "I never meant to say that I hated you. I was just so angry because I had seen you with Kikyou. I thought you had broken your promise to me again."

"But you never stopped just one time to let me tell you that wasn't the case, did you!" Inuyasha snapped, his voice thoroughly brimming with tears now. He whirled around to face Kagome, the glistening tears that he struggled to hold back beginning to slide down his cheeks now. _Kami, these fucking human emotions! Ugh!_ "Kagome, I need you with me. I want to be with you. I don't want to be with anybody else! Don't you get that!?"

"I-I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never meant to say that. I don't hate you, you must know that. Inuyasha, I-," but Kagome was cut off. The hanyou was standing now, turning to face her, tears still streamed down his cheeks. He grasped her hands in his and pulled the girl into a tight embrace, holding her so close that she could hear the rapid beating of his heart.

"I promised to protect you, Kagome. I'm not going to break that promise to you. I want you with me. Unless you don't want to be with me anymore," Inuyasha stated softly into her hair.

"I...I do want to be with you, Inuyasha. I want to be with you more than you can understand!" the miko replied back softly, her voice muffled in his chest. "I don't want anything else," Kagome admitted before breaking down into his chest. Inuyasha held her close while she sobbed into his chest, allowing herself to let it out and he comforted her.

Moments later, Kagome pulled back to gaze up at his tear-glazed face and she reached a hand up to brush them away. He lowered his hand to the side of her face, brushing her tears away with this thumbs. "Kagome...," the hanyou spoke her name softly.

"Inuyasha," she replied as their noses became just millimeters apart from one another, hands still on the side of each other's faces. Closing her eyes she felt the gentle caress of the hanyou's breath against her skin before she felt the softness of his lips meeting hers. The two allowed themselves to fall into one another, lips softly brushing against each other, sinking into the feeling. The wind whispered gently through the trees and the birds sang up above in the branches as the sun's rays cast down over hanyou and miko, as though that light that shown were only for them.


	8. Chapter 8

The hanyou slowly opened his amber eyes as did the miko and the two held a lingering gaze as they broke apart from their tender kiss. Inuyasha smiled and wrapped his arms once more around Kagome, holding her tightly to him. She returned the embrace, closing her arms around his back and held on as if she never wanted to let go. Kagome pressed her face up against the softness of his fire rat, breathing in deep, and taking in his scent. Nothing could even ruin a moment like this. The feeling of Kagome's lips lingered on the hanyou's, and he could never recall feeling anything so powerful, so tender and so warm. The time Kikyou had forced her kiss on him, her lips had been cold and hard.

Nothing felt as amazing as Kagome's kiss, and he would remember their first one for a lifetime to come. From Kagome's lips, to her touch, to her caress, he felt the intense love for him pour through his very skin into the core of his heart. Inuyasha couldn't remember ever feeling anything like this before. Anything that may have came close was the love his mother had for him when he was very small and the way she held him, especially if he had been teased or tormented by human or demon alike. Izayoi and Inuyasha had always suffered through discrimination by humans and youkai because of Inuyasha being only a half-demon. Whenever he had been teased, Izayoi would hold him in her arms and squeeze him gently to let him know she was there to protect him and love him. The hanyou always felt the love the human woman had for him. Inuyasha had also felt the love from Kikyou when she had been alive, but nothing was as strong as the sensation he picked up from Kagome. Her scent even grew stronger as the two held one another, and that's when he knew and finally realized that Kagome was truly in love with him and he with her...

"Inuyasha, I...," came Kagome's voice almost breathlessly.

"That was...," the hanyou struggled to find the right words, gazing down into Kagome's warm eyes.

"Amazing," she finished off for him smiling.

The young miko felt like she was standing on top of the entire world. Kagome couldn't even remember a time where she had felt this elated. She felt light headed the moment she broke from the sweet taste of his lips, and the miko couldn't determine whether it was from her loss of blood or if it was clearly from the feeling Inuyasha had let flow through to the depths of her heart. Kagome had wondered and questioned herself for the longest time if this moment would ever come. She had wondered time and time again that if it did come, what would it be like? Kagome never pictured it to be as romantic as this.

The birds were singing softly in the trees, a gentle breeze was blowing her handsome hanyou's silvery-white mane of hair back, making him look even more inviting. His normally, cold, cranky amber eyes were glistening with happiness and enlightenment. Nobody was around, and the sun's rays were pouring down like a spotlight over the couple. It was like they had the whole world to just themselves, and nobody would interrupt this moment of tenderness and tranquility. The miko pictured it, they were alone, locked into each other's arms, and she almost waited for Shippou to pop out of some random hiding place and tantalize the hanyou for kissing Kagome, but there was nothing. The miko found herself giggling into Inuyasha's shoulder inspite of herself and she gazed up at him adoringly.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha questioned her, a small flicker of worry crossing his golden eyes. _Maybe she didn't like the kiss? Maybe I'm a bad kisser and she's laughing at how bad it was..._

"Oh it's nothing," Kagome replied, still looking up at him. "I'm just glad the others weren't here to see this," she added still snickering. "Could you imagine their reaction?"

"Feh, especially Miroku," replied Inuyasha, rolling those amber eyes of his. "He'd probably be chasing Sango all over the place trying to plant one on her right about now."

This caused Kagome to burst out laughing and she took Inuyasha's hand in hers, leading him towards the well so they could sit down together. "We should consider ourselves lucky that Shippou-chan didn't see us either," she added with a grin.

Kagome gazed up at Inuyasha's golden eyes, trying to catch his expression and much to her relief he was smiling, exposing this little, white fangs of his. "Keh, yeah, if Shippou would have caught us, he'd have wish he hadn't by the time I got to him," the hanyou replied arrogantly and stuck his nose in the air as they walked slowly back to the well. Inuyasha was the first to seat himself, allowing Kagome to lower herself between his legs and rest back up against his chest. The hanyou wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist, allowing the girl's head to fall back against his shoulder. The miko continued to look at him and he tenderly kissed her attractive jawline.

"Oh, c'mon now, Inuyasha," Kagome began. "You know they're all going to find out sooner or later. Are you going to pound Shippou to a pulp every single time he catches us?"

"Keh, if I have to I will," the hanyou retorted, turning his head away from Kagome's and sticking his puppy-like nose in the air once more.

Kagome laughed and cupped her hand around his chin, pulling his face back towards her. "Are you going to make me use the 'word' Inuyasha?" Kagome replied, a small devilish gleam glistening in her dark eyes. "You're not going to make me say oswu-," the miko added teasingly, but was cut off by Inuyasha's pleads.

"No no, Kagome! Anything but that word! Please don't say the word!" the hanyou exclaimed, panic spreading across his handsome features, followed by a few sweatdrops.

The little miko couldn't help but just laugh as she snuggled up more into his chest. "I was only kidding, Inuyasha," Kagome spoke softly, fingering the subjugation beads lovingly. "I'll only say it if you force me to say it." _I just hope it never comes to that again...I do wonder though...I wonder what exactly Inuyasha said to Kikyou? _

Inuyasha let out a soft groan and lowered himself more to the ground, allowing his body to lay on the grass. Kagome lept up the moment she heard it and watched as his head met the ground gently, his golden eyes closed. Was he pain? He had to of been. It was a very serious wound that had been inflicted on him. The girl laid next to him, running her fingertips across his forehead. "Are you okay, Inuyasha?" she questioned worriedly. Kagome always worried whenever her hanyou was wounded in battle.

Inuyasha opened his eyes and smiled at Kagome's worried face. "Keh, baka, of course I'm alright. It's just a little scratch is all."

Kagome sat up and raised an eyebrow, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest. "Just a little scratch?" she asked him, staring skeptically. "You're hurting aren't you? You should be careful or you'll re-open your wounds. Maybe we should go back to the-," but Kagome stopped in mid-sentence as she felt Inuyasha's hand on her arm pulling her downward to lay on his chest. Kagome's eyes widened a bit. She hadn't expected it, but the moment she met his body, the miko let out a relaxing sigh.

"Are you kidding me? How many moments are we going to get alone like this?" Inuyasha replied, as he began stroking the back of Kagome's head with his clawed fingertips. "I'll be fine, so quit worrying so much."

"Hmmm I guess you're right. We could always go back to my time if they're all bothering you that much?" the miko suggested, but the hanyou wrinkled his nose.

"Nah, if we go there, I'll have Souta all over me and we'll never get a moment's peace. It's not like I can just carry you up to a tree right now," he added with a pouty expression.

Kagome leaned up and giggled, staring down into his face. She lifted her fingertip and tapped his nose gently. It was warm and damp, just like a puppy's nose. If there was one thing Kagome always loved about him it was his nose and his ears. Okay, so maybe it was two things, but still, she couldn't help but touch his nose or tweak his ears whenever she got the chance. "What's wrong, Inuyasha? Don't like it when my kid brother hangs all over you. You _are_ his hero you know," the miko teased.

"Keh, don't remind me. Do you have any ideas of how many kids are like that around me, no matter how rough I get with them?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "It's flattering but it get's annoying."

The young priestess just giggled into his shoulder and she felt the hanyou squeeze her a little tighter to him. She felt that this was the perfect moment to ask him just what was said between him and Kikyou. What was the harm in it? She didn't see any and hopefully Inuyasha wouldn't get angry with her for asking.

"Ummm, Inuyasha?" the miko began nervously.

"Hmmm?" the hanyou replied, still laying with his eyes closed and stroking Kagome's hair.

"Well, I was just wondering...ummm, when you did go and meet Kikyou, well...what happened? What did you two talk about?" she questioned softly. Inuyasha ceased the stroking of Kagome's hair and the girl hurriedly sat up, not wanting to look at him for fear she had upset him. The miko squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head.

"Hey, why'd you get up?" the hanyou questioned. "Come back down here."

Kagome opened up one eye to peek down at him with her fists drawn up to her chin. She was relieved to see that he wasn't going to get angry for asking him. She smiled slightly as the hanyou rolled over on his side. Kagome lay down on his outstretched arm and he continued stroking her hair once more. "The other night when I found you out by the river and told you what I did, I wasn't lying, Kagome..."

_'I knew I smelled her! I wasn't sure at first, but now I KNOW it's her! Inuyasha thought anxiously as he ran towards the undead priestess. What on earth could Kikyou be doing out this way?' Unless she had new news of Naraku's where-abouts, the hanyou didn't know, but he had to admit he was anxious to find out and in a way, he wanted to tell Kikyou to get out of here before Kagome figured out what was going on. 'Why in the hell am I going to see her again though? I just finished promising Kagome that I'd never leave her side again...so what's drawing me here? I mean...I don't want to leave Kagome's side, not ever again. Kikyou, unless this is something important, I can't stay long.' The hanyou stopped as he had finally reached her scent. Gazing upward, he saw Kikyou laying leisurely in a tree. Her bow had been sat up against the base of it and her shinidamachuu slithered in mid air around her, singing their calming, siren song. _

_"Kikyou," Inuyasha stated as he stared upward at the woman. _

_"Inuyasha," she replied, allowing her soul collectors to gather her and lower her cold, clay-made body to the ground. _

_"Kikyou, what are you doing out here?" Inuyasha asked, still continuing to stare the woman. "Do you have any new information on Naraku's whereabouts?" _

_"No, Inuyasha, I do not. I merely fancied a stroll in the forest and found myself out here. I should be asking you what you are doing here. Shouldn't you be with Kagome and the others?"_

_"I...well..," stammered Inuyasha, turning his head away from Kikyou. Both Kagome and Kikyou always had a way of making him feel guilty for being with one or the other. _

_"Hmmm, you smelled me nearby and so you decided to seek me out, did you not?" Kikyou questioned, staring down at the half-demon. "Was there any reason behind it?"_

_"Well...I just...," Inuyasha began, but couldn't finish his sentence. 'Damn! How do I tell Kikyou that I...I can't meet with her anymore? How do I explain to Kikyou that I've promised to stay by Kagome's side and promised to protect her? How will Kikyou ever come to understand that I...I think I'm falling in love with Kagome? No...I think I am in love with Kagome, I've just been too stupid to see it until now. I mean, I still love Kikyou but...the one thing keeping us apart is well, Kikyou's dead and I'm alive. I'll still avenge her death on that bastard Naraku, but that's all I can do for her.' "I thought maybe you might have had some news on Naraku is all. I figured you were coming after us to let us know."_

_Kikyou stared down at Inuyasha with her cold, dark gaze, but it held a curiousness in it. "Is that all you've come to see me for, are you lying to me, Inuyasha?" the undead miko questioned. _

_Inuyasha could feel his heart pounding in his chest. I have to tell her...it's time to let go. I can't see her anymore...it'd be wrong. I've hurt Kagome so much, I can't do this to her anymore. I don't want to lose her because of this. It's tearing her apart and if I lose her, it'll tear me apart. _

_"K-Kikyou, I...," Inuyasha stuttered slightly. Was it really going to be this hard, telling her goodbye? 'I mean this isn't really goodbye, is it? It's just I can't be with her anymore...Kikyou., you're not of this world. I finally realize all this time of what Kaede-baaba was trying to tell me...' the hanyou thought silently to himself. He cleared his throat and continued._

_"Kikyou, this is really hard for me to say. I mean, we shared so much, and for so long I thought you had betrayed me. I...if it weren't for Kagome, I never would have learned to trust people again, do you understand?"_

_Kikyou's shinidamachuu now gathered around the undead miko's body and lowered her to the base of the tree where her bow and quiver of arrows lay. The priestess lay back against the tree and the hanyou crouched low. He gazed at the woman almost sympathetically. This was so hard. Kikyou was his first love. He would've gone to Hell and back for her and nearly almost did, but since Kagome had walked into his life, things had changed now. Kikyou would understand. Inuyasha would have to tell her that it's time to let go._

_"I believe I do, Inuyasha. I know you feel that you must protect Kagome, but you shouldn't underestimate her either," the priestess pointed out. "We've witnessed first hand that Kagome is a big girl and can take care of herself."_

_"I know that and I don't underestimate her or her power. It's just...I've seen sides of Kagome and Kagome has seen sides of me that I have never shown anybody before. I've watched her shed tears for my sake, she's protected me on more than one occasion when I've needed her, as I have her. She's gone through the nights with me when I'm human, she's helped me realize that I'm not a filthy hanyou. Kagome told me that she liked me for me, as a hanyou," Inuyasha told the woman. He stopped and watched her. She gave him a small nod and he continued. _

_"Kikyou, if this were 50 years ago and we were never decieved by Naraku, then it'd be the other way around," the hanyou tried desperately to explain. He didn't want to hurt Kikyou and it was hurting him to let go, but he knew where his heart was laying and that was with Kagome now. "Kagome has...Kagome has began to heal the wounds in my heart that I never thought would be healed."_

_Kikyou let out a small, almost saddened laugh. "She has, I know this Inuyasha. I know that Kagome desires to be with you. For so long I tried to push the thought away. I tried to brush it off as though it weren't real, but now I know. I know that if anything happened to Kagome, you'd be devastated. I knew that from the moment I tried to kill her. Why do you think I have not harmed Kagome anymore? I've done it for you sake, Inuyasha. Besides, I have no more desire to harm Kagome, rivals we may have been."_

_"Kikyou, I...I'm so sorry," the hanyou told her, lowering his silvery-white head in defeat. "I made a promise to Kagome the other night. I promised that I would never leave her side again. She's gone through nearly every battle with me, she makes me strong and gives me the will to fight."_

_"Hmm, I see. Does that mean you're going to completely forget about anything that has ever happened between us?" Kikyou questioned him and Inuyasha were sure that if the woman hadn't been dead, tears would have filled Kikyou's eyes at this point, for look she was giving him was of pure sadness, yet her gaze held the understanding._

_"No, I will never forget about you, or us, but Kikyou, everything we had was in the past. It's just something that could never be. Kagome needs me, she needs me to protect her from Naraku. Kikyou, I will slay Naraku for you, so you can rest in peace. I will avenge your death and his deciet on you and I 50 years ago, but that's all I can ever do," he told her softly, placing a hand over Kikyou's cold one. "Kikyou, I'm not ready to die yet. I can't die and leave Kagome all alone. It would tear her apart and I can't see that happening to her, ever."_

_"You know, if we were never torn apart, it would've been I who could have tended to the wounds of your heart," the undead miko replied silently. "I understand however that is something I cannot do now. You need to go and be with Kagome. I owe a lot to her, especially for saving me from Naraku's miasma. If Kagome would not have found me, I would have perished and my suffering would have lingered. I'm grateful."_

_"Kikyou...," the hanyou remarked sadly. "You know, Kagome has always considered herself second best to you. She doesn't feel she's up to your standards, even though she's your reincarnation."_

_Kikyou smiled a bit and let out another laugh. "Kagome does not give herself enough credit. She was able to purify the miasma to protect me. If anything were to happen to Kagome and I could do that for her, I would instantly return the favor. Kagome's power is like my own, she may even be more powerful than me, but only time will tell. Inuyasha, encourage Kagome. Encourage her and cheer her on, especially when she fights. Only then will she realize her true nature as a miko. Don't hurt her either, Inuyasha. You're Kagome's strength just as she's yours."_

_Inuyasha nodded his head. "I understand." He sighed and removed his hand from Kikyou's. "Kikyou, you have to know that this is hard for me too, but I think it's time...time to let go. If you have to meet with me, please don't make me go off alone with you, because I can't. I can't do this to Kagome anymore. It's hurting her too much and if I lose Kagome too, I won't...I won't be able to go on," he admitted openly to Kikyou. The closer to time the new moon was coming, the more his human emotions were in tact. Inuyasha realized that if it weren't this close to the new moon, there was no way he could say all of these things to Kikyou. "Kikyou, I'll never stop caring for you."_

_Kikyou raised a hand and placed it gently on the side of Inuyasha's face. "And I'll never stop either. Take good care of Kagome, Inuyasha. She needs you now more than ever, especially since Naraku is after her and her jewel shards. Naraku will try and turn you two against each other, just as he did with us. Do not let that happen, Inuyasha. Especially if you want to keep Kagome alive, never let him come between you two." _

_The undead miko's shinidamachuu gathered around her body and slowly lifted the woman up into the air before disappearing. Inuyasha stood up with his head turned up towards the sky and watched as Kikyou vanished. "Goodbye, Kikyou."_

"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly, bringing her hand to her chest. The two were now sitting up, the hanyou leaning against the well and Kagome perched on her knees, gazing at his somewhat torn expression. Everything he had just told her was so heartfelt that the miko could feel the pain that Kikyou and Inuyasha had probably felt at that very moment. "I know that you and Kikyou have a strong bond. I don't ever want to come between that, so you must understand that...," she began softly. "But...you're really staying with me? You really told Kikyou that you're going to be with me?"

Inuyasha turned his silver head towards the young woman, gazing down at her with that golden stare of his and Kagome could see the truth in his eyes. "I'm staying right here with you, Kagome. I'll never leave you alone again ever. One too many times have I left you alone and you could've been killed because of my stupidity. I've seen all the things you've done for me and I took them for granted, but now I realize what you truly are to me." The hanyou raised a clawed hand and cupped Kagome's cheek. The miko leaned into the caress of his skin and closed her eyes, allowing her lashes to flutter against his fingertips. "I don't blame you for acting out the way you did...," he continued speaking softly.

"Inuyasha, I'm so-," the miko began, but he cut off her words by placing a finger over her lips.

"And I don't expect an apology from you either. After all, I did sneak off with Kikyou a lot, but Kagome...during those times I snuck off to see her, I never did anything with her. I never held her like I'm holding you. I never kissed her the way I kissed you. We've only kissed one time and that was when she tried to drag me into Hell with her. She forced that kiss on me. I didn't expect it at all, but it was out of my control. It took me this long to realize what an idiot I've been," the hanyou sighed.

"I just feel like such a fool," Kagome admitted, her cheeks blushing warmly against the hanyou's hand. "I mean if I had known that's why you were going to see Kikyou, I never would have blown up, ran off and you never would've gotten hurt. It's because of me and it's all my fault that you're so injured."

Inuyasha shook his head firmly. "Don't blame yourself, Kagome. I should have told you I was going to see Kikyou, but I didn't. That was so stupid of me. I just felt that it would be the perfect opportunity to tell Kikyou goodbye," the hanyou admitted. "It was hard, but I realized something. I realized that Kaede-baaba was trying to tell me all along that Kikyou and I could never be together. She is not of this world. You're alive, Kagome and I'm alive. Our meeting wasn't just a coincidence. I believe were destined for this. Kagome...what I'm trying to say is that I...I-I..," the hanyou began struggling with his words.

"It's okay Inuyasha. I know what you're going to say," the miko replied softly, placing her hand tenderly on the side of his face. She gazed up at him with bright, glistening eyes. "I love you too."

"Kagome," was all the hanyou could say as he gathered the young priestess in his arms and held onto her tight, burying his face into her shoulder, allowing her silkened, raven locks to tenderly touch his face. "I truly do, Kagome...I do love you," Inuyasha spoke softly into her ear.

Kagome felt these words reach inside of the depth's of her soul and the core of heart, billowing inside of her, feeling her entire body with warmth, newfound strength and a feeling that she couldn't even begin to describe. _It must be true love,_ the miko thought to herself. _This feeling I'm getting...it's amazing to be here. It's amazing to hear these words...to be in his arms like this. This is something I've always wanted to hear from him. I never want this moment to end..It's almost too good to be true, but it is! It's true! Oh, Inuyasha..._

Kagome pulled back from Inuyasha's embrace and the two were staring at each other once more, gazing deeply into one another's eyes, with their foreheads pressed gently against one another's. Kagome leaned forward and captured the hanyou's lips once more with her own. She felt his small, surprised intake of breath, but he soon relaxed. Before they knew it, they were exploring each other's mouth, massaging each other's tongue's, falling into the feeling of one another once more. Kagome ran her tongue gently across the hanyou's fangs and she felt his body shiver with pleasure. They could have been lost to the world and not realized anybody were around. Kagome reached her hands up and began rubbing his soft, fluffy dog-ears on top of his head, causing Inuyasha to moan softly into her mouth. The hanyou and miko had never been so in tune with one another.

"You know," Inuyasha began through kisses. "I'll have to tell you one of these days what playing with my ears does to me."

"Yeah, you will. I'll tell you what it does for me too," Kagome replied, deeping their kiss, not realizing what was going on behind some bushes not too far away from them.

Nearby in the bushes Sango, Miroku and Shippou were hiding, peeking over the green leafy branches. Sango had a brillant smile plastered on her face as she watched Kagome and Inuyasha uniting with each other when she felt a hand rubbing her rear-end. _Damn this monk...he picks the perfect time to ruin everything, doesn't he! _ "C'mon, let's leave those two alone. We shouldn't bother them at a time like this," the demon slayer stated through clenched teeth, her face steadily becoming red, but not from embarrassment.

_Is it just me or do I sense some sexual tension? _ The houshi thought to himself as he watched Inuyasha and Kagome locked into one another, not even realizing that their friends were just feet away."Sango, why don't we experiement?" Miroku began as he continued rubbing her butt, a very content and happy grin on his face. "We could try what Inuyasha and Kagome are do-," but the houshi was sharply cut off by a harsh slap in the face from Sango. He grinned and rubbed the rather red handprint left there by the demon slayer.

"C'mon you two, let's go back to the village and let them be," Sango began, but she didn't even get the chance to finish what she was saying. Shippou had taken it upon himself to leap out of the bushes and go running towards the hanyou and the miko. Sango put her palm against her face and shook her dark head in irritation. Leave it to Shippou to completely intrude on Inuyasha and Kagome's private time.

"INUUUUUUUUYASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AND KAAAAAAAAAGOOOOOOMEEEEEEEE ARE KISSSSSSSSSSSING!!!" the little kitsune squealed as he bounded towards the couple, doing a silly little dance as he approached them.

The miko and hanyou broke apart, both blushing furiously. The last thing the two wanted was for their friends to spot them. This was what Inuyasha had meant by not getting any alone time with her...although he didn't think Souta would have wrecked the moment as bad as Shippou just had. Suddenly, going to Kagome's era didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"Dammit Shippou! You scared the hell out of us!" Inuyasha snapped, going back into his normal, tough guy act. "You should really WARN people next time you're going to sneak up on them like that!" he picked the little kit up by his tail and held him upside down.

"WAAAAHHH INUYASHA! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!!" squealed Shippou. "I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF KAGOME AND YOU HAD GONE BACK TO HER TIME BECAUSE WHEN WE WOKE UP YOU WERE GONE AND I WAS WORRIED!" The hanyou ignored Shippou's continuant and dropped the little kitsune on his head.

"Baka Inuyasha!" he shouted, standing himself upright and staring at the hanyou with his little fists clenched at his sides. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes in annoyance, while sniffing the air at the same time.

"You other two might as well come out from your little hiding place," sighed Inuyasha in an exasperated manner. "I can smell you over there." The hanyou hadn't smelled them earlier during his rather private and intimate moment with Kagome. His senses had been in tune elsewhere.

Sango appeared first over the bushes red faced followed by a rather stupid looking houshi. He got up and approached Inuyasha. "Niiiice wo-," Miroku stated and was going to say more, but Kagome and Sango shot him looks of death. The monk just laughed nervously, rubbed the back of his head and grinned, deciding not to say anymore. It was bad enough when he pissed Sango off, the last thing he wanted to do was piss Kagome off as well.

Inuyasha had now taken the liberty to knock Shippou upside the head, as the little kitsune had now taken to picking on Inuyasha about getting together with Kagome. Shippou sat on the ground rubbing his head and crying loudly while Inuyasha pursed his lips, turning his head upward with an arrogant look on his face. his amber orbs closed.

"I was JUST wanting to come and see you guys! I'm just happy that you and Kagome are together now and you finally kissed! Why'd you have to hit me like that!" the kit whined loudly, causing Sango and Miroku to exchange silent, annoyed glances.

"Keh, because you're an idiot who doesn't realize what a private moment is apparently," Inuyasha replied haughtily.

"AN IDIOT!? OH I'LL SHOW YOU!" Shippou exploded, leaping up in the air, flailing his little fists, but Miroku had taken the liberty to pick him up by his shirt and hold his twisting body away from Inuyasha.

"Why don't we go back to the hut and leave these two alone," suggested the monk.

"Yes I couldn't agree more," the slayer added, nodding her dark head.

She flashed Kagome a small smile and Kagome smiled back dazzlingly. Sango couldn't remember ever seeing the priestess look so happy. The houshi and the demon slayer waved to the still rather frazzled couple and turned to head back towards the village. Inuyasha and Kagome both watched as the two disappeared from sight and then turned to look back at one another. They were both smiling contently, happy to be in each other's presence. The hanyou stood up and held his hand out to help Kagome off the ground. She gratefully accepted and placed her hand on his, allowing him to pull the miko up.

"Our life starts here," she miko spoke softly as she leaned upwards to Inuyasha's face.

"And it'll carry on for a long long time to come," Inuyasha replied softly as the two held hands and started back down the hill and towards the village. All that could be seen were the backs of them as the two walked in step with each other, their long hair blowing out from behind them as the moved forward to the new life they'd share always and forever.

_** THE END **_


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